


Fallen From Glory

by Madzie2000



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Loki Tries to be Nice, Loki isn't the only one with a sense of humour, Protective Avengers, non-con elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-10 07:54:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 24,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6974338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madzie2000/pseuds/Madzie2000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor has been tasked by Loki to retrieve something from SHIELD that will impress him and convince him to leave his newly-found throne. When Tony and Thor receive word of a girl with supernatural abilities, a plan begins to form, but will it save Asgard? Will she go willingly? And what secrets does her past hide?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Mission of Mischief

Loki sat upon the golden throne his adoptive father had once resided in, allowing himself the pleasure of revealing his true form as his brother strode away. It had amazed him to see his brother so proud of him, a bitter sense of pride giving him a happiness that could only be expressed with a gleeful smirk.

“No, thank **you**.” Thor turned to wave to his father and was greeted with a horrible sight: Loki – his supposedly dead brother – seated on the throne of the All-Father. Anger boiled his blood as he stalked back toward the throne, shouting half-hearted insults.

“You slithering snake of a man! Where have you done to our Father?” Loki picked up on Thor’s deep concern and toyed with the idea of lying to him, but it was too late for that. Thor needed to remember who he really was.

 

Loki let his skin become its natural dark blue, rage engulfing every cell in his body. He had always hated it when the blonde brute referred to Odin as **their** father.

“He was NEVER my father just as you were never my brother!” The words cut gashes into the Asgardian’s heart, watching as a familiar golden crown with horns materialised on Loki’s head. Loki disappeared and was suddenly standing before him, knocking him against the floor with his old spear that contained part of the Tesseract, the bladed end cutting the blood-red cape.

“I give you one task to complete brother; if you fail I stay on the throne. However, if you do as I ask I will take my leave and return to that cell you locked me away in after the battle in New York. Would you like to hear it?” Loki’s smirk made Thor angrier, but he stood and held Mjolnir tightly to stop himself from using it to plough the man before him into the ground.

 

“I will hear you out for this, but I believe Mjolnir has other ideas.” Loki could hear a small storm brewing outside the palace. _It seems I’ve gained his attention._

“I give you a week to spend in Midgard. Your task is so simple a mere child could achieve it.” Thor took the insult to heart and grasped the hammer tighter, lightning crashing outside. _Why act cruelly if you want a kindness from me? How do petty comments as this prove me of a lesser intellect than you?_

“I need you to bring back something that might interest me from SHIELD. It could be a person, an object of value to me or to the people. Whatever you chose, be sure that they won’t blame you for its disappearance.” Loki smiled and strode back to his throne. _Now this all belongs to me…_ With a vengeance, Thor aimed Mjolnir at the sky and thunder clapped, lightning striking the metal. He aimed it at Loki and released his power, his bridled rage and every thought of a dark nature that he had had for this man he had once called brother.

 

Loki put up a hand and blocked it effortlessly as a ring of light surrounded the God of Thunder, sending him to Asgard with a sarcastic goodbye.

“Farewell, brother.” As the light carried Thor away, he frowned. _With the Tesseract in his possession there is nothing of interest to him… perhaps I can call on my friends to help me defeat him in battle. Doctor Banner certainly knows how to handle him._ With a smug look on his face, the god felt himself crash through a ceiling, then another. He finally stopped after he put three Thor-shaped holes in the Avengers tower. Tony wouldn’t be as mad if it had been the Hulk, but he would still be pissed. Thor was laid on his back, panting as the pain spreading through his body subsided. A face glared down at him angrily, quickly smiling as he extended a hand.

“Hey big guy, come for a visit?” Thor smiled but Tony could see straight through it.

 

“What’s eating you?” His head tilted and confusion took over his mind.

“What do you mean eating me? There aren’t any beasts around!” Tony shook his head.

“It’s a metaphor, a figure of speech. You know what? Forget it. Just tell me why you’re here so I can go back to fixing Natasha’s gun stash.” Tony turned and stared, Thor’s eyes following his gaze to a small array of guns sitting on a workbench. Thankfully, he’d missed all of the equipment and landed in the middle of the floor, out of harm – and Tony’s – way. Jarvis’ voice carried through a loudspeaker, alerting him to a mission from SHIELD.

“Sir there is an alert from SHIELD. They have someone in custody over an incident that occurred at 12 pm in Canada yesterday afternoon. She appears to have supernatural powers and killed a policeman who tried to arrest her. Footage has been sent to us; should I play it?”

 

Tony thought for a moment and looked at Thor who seemed happy.

“You want to help me on this one or wait here?”

“I will go with you on one condition.” Tony’s brow knitted together, his own curiosity getting the better of him.

“What’s your condition?”

“We take the woman back to Asgard.”

“Why take her back with you?” Thor frowned.

“Loki sits on the throne of Asgard. He has tasked me to find something from SHIELD that would interest him. If this woman is a human with supernatural powers, he would not risk letting her go because she could be an ally. With her I may be able to take the throne and keep Asgard safe from his tyranny.”

 

Tony stood still for a moment, taking in what the god had said. Jarvis cut in.

“Sir, there is something else about the woman you should know; she is the adoptive daughter of an Agent Maria Hill, commonly known as Claire.” Tony threw his arms in the air as if in defeat.

“Well we can scratch that idea. I’m not kidnapping… Jarvis did you say daughter?”

“Yes. The girl had just entered grade 11. She was on a field trip and this footage was taken.” Jarvis pulled up a holographic screen, showing a girl with shoulder-length dark hair standing deathly still in the snow, her hands shaking. She aimed one hand to the camera and blasted it with shards of ice. Thor’s mouth dropped and Tony stared at the screen until it disappeared, analysing the information that they had so far.

“Is she with SHIELD or the local authorities?”

 

Jarvis checked through the information and gave a curt reply.

“She is being transported here as we speak to be assessed by any of the Avengers who may have information about her abilities. They have detected no radiation or mutations, but her genetic code is not completely human.”

“Do you have any images of her in your database? We might be able to identify something about her true species through that facial recognition program I installed last week.” Jarvis did not pull up the image and instead shut down the projection. The sound of a helicopter landing confirmed what Tony had been thinking before Jarvis confirmed it.

“Sir, she’s here.”


	2. Claire Hill Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and the other Avengers meets and choose a member of the team to go up and speak with the girl - only Thor and Tony know who she really is. So who will it be?  
> The aggressive green-man doctor the Hulk, murderess Black Widow, fearless self-absorbed leader Iron Man, God of Thunder Thor, heroic Captain America or arrow enthusiast Hawkeye?

Tony looked at Thor who had concern on his face. She would have to be put in the containment room they had created for Bruce: the thick walls and flooring could withstand the Green Guy’s weight and strength, so it would be impossible for her to escape. The more Tony thought about it, the more he realised that they couldn’t send in just any person within the Avenger’s to speak with her. For all they knew she was in league with somebody they already knew and she was dangerous.

“Jarvis, which members of our team are in the building?” Jarvis pulled up a screen and he saw two room occupied by the men and women he had come to call friends. Bruce was in his average human form talking to Hawkeye and Natasha while Steve ploughed his way through a specially designed punching bag, made to withstand his hefty and rather brutal onslaught.

“Send out a message to everyone: ‘Meet at the Hulk’s room in 5 minutes’.” Thor was unimpressed by the name and Tony could see it in his face, devoid of any emotion but annoyance and anger.

 

“Well what else was I supposed to call it?” Thor huffed and followed Tony to an elevator, his cape and armour still covered in dust from the cement. He noticed this lack of cleanliness and brushed his large hands over himself to be rid of it. Tony was silently laughing at Thor with a stony exterior, finding his lack of masculinity in that moment highly amusing. They stopped and entered Steven’s small training room, seeing him in his trademark red, white and blue uniform. The shield was strapped onto his back and he eyed Thor curiously.

“I thought you’d spent enough time here on Earth; did you miss us?” Thor managed a smile and shook his head.

“Much as I love my friends like family I’m afraid I’m here for business, not pleasure. That’s how Midgardian’s say it, isn’t it?” Steven smirked and nodded.

“You catch on pretty quickly. So, what’s the issue?” He looked at Tony, who was shaking his head.

 

“I’m not saying anything until we’re all in the same room. This is far too important to discuss with just one of you. Besides, I wouldn’t want everybody to think I favour them.”

“That’s because you favour yourself, am I right?” Tony huffed as Steven walked past and entered the elevator, giving him the sarcastic reply as the door closed.

“You’re right.” They were almost to the top when the elevator stopped, opening up to a three-way conversation between Clint, Natasha and Bruce. Tony’s voice struck them all with surprise, as well as the appearance of the God of Thunder Himself. Natasha stared at Thor for a moment, Bruce cutting through the dead silence as they all stood up. He was so cheery that Tony wanted to puke.

“Hey, Thunder Man! What brings you here?” Natasha picked up a clear display panel from a wall and showed him a headline in the local papers. _Wait a second, what?_

“Some kid who shoots ice out of her hands? What does she have to do with you?”

 

Thor stepped forward in front of Tony and Steven as the elevator doors closed behind the trio of men, the door brushing past the shield and making an awful screech that set everybody’s teeth on edge.

“Loki has taken over the throne of Asgard and tricked me into denying myself the opportunity to take it. He sent me to Midgard so that I could take a relic or personage from SHIELD of interest to him. It needed to be something that could make him abandon all reason and the throne. That girl may be my only hope. Judging by Stark’s gathering of us here it seems he will be choosing which of us should convince her to leave.” Natasha stood brusquely.

“I vote that Bruce goes in; if I go in I’ll just intimidate her, Tony is full of himself, Clint hates anything under the age of 20 and Steven… I have no clue what you’re like with children.” Tony nodded.

“Okay, so our options are Thor, Steve and Bruce; what do you say Banner?” Bruce shook his head and forced the words from his mouth, Thor allowing the others to decide on their own terms.

 

“God knows what’ll happen if she pisses me off or starts a fight. The same goes for Thor. Steven my man, you’re the only one of us who can talk to her. Who knows, she might even develop a crush on you as bad as Coulson did.” Tony made an odd snorting sound as he held back a laugh, his face steely with concentration as he repeated a silent mantra. _Don’t laugh, don’t laugh…_ Natasha grinned and Clint stood up when he noticed how uncomfortable Steven was feeling.

“You’re face has been hanging around for years so she must at least know who you are. She’d trust you more than anyone else.”

“What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey sweetheart, come with us to another planet so we can show you off to a man that could kill you in a split second’? Yeah, that’s a terrific idea.” Tony looked at Thor.

“He’s not wrong you know. We can’t just let him say anything… Natasha do you have an earpiece with two-way communication capabilities?”

 

The redhead smiled and plucked one from a zipper on her hip and held it out to Steven.

“Put it in your ear and I’ll tell you what not to say to her or give you an idea of what her facial expression is telling me; reading faces is a specialty of mine.” Steven smiled and removed the iconic shield from his back, moving to the benches where Bruce, Natasha and Clint had been sitting, ready to put it down. Natasha stopped him with her words, speaking a little louder than usual.

“Keep it with you; she’s unpredictable and she’s scared. That thing is your only defence.” Steven kept it in his hands and turned to the elevator, waiting for the doors to open. Tony put his hand on Steven’s shoulder and he jumped.

“You’re too tense you know?” Steven laughed and nodded.

“Is it odd to be scared?” Tony smiled.

“It’ll make you seem a lot cuter, so it’s probably a good thing.” Steven shook his head amusedly and walked into the elevator as he headed towards the second level. SHIELD was long gone and she had nobody with her, leading him to the same realisation as Tony: they would be as scared as each other.

 

Next chapter may or may not rip out a few hearts, so do what Scar does and be prepared.


	3. Claire Hill Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain America has been chosen to see Claire and gets her to come out of her shell quite quickly;  
> Tony manages to weasel out of her the reason behind a police officer's death but will she go to see the 'King' of Asgard willingly?  
> (And has Thor learnt anything new about our world?)

Steven had found an apple in Tony’s fridge and polished it on his arm. Though he used to polish apples on his upper thigh in school out of habit – considering who it was going to – it would be a bad and possibly even stupid idea. Entering a short hallway, he saw the thick metal outer wall and pressed a button. The metal disappeared and became thick glass, allowing him to see the girl on the other side staring straight at him, rarely blinking. He couldn’t believe it: it was as if the life had been sucked from her face and replaced with the most gut-wrenching look of sadness he’d seen in his life. Even the pallor of her face was enough to make him wince. If she had been able to see his face she would know how much he pitied her. Taking in a deep breath, Steven pressed another button and one of the panels slid open, allowing him to walk in. She was so distracted by her own worries that she hadn’t noticed him walk in, so he sat in the opposite corner, waiting for anything to happen. The girl turned her head and stared at him, eyes squinting as if she couldn’t see him properly. He stood up and held out the apple.

 

She glanced up at his face and studied it.

“Do I know you?” The accent hit him like a tonne of bricks.

“I take it that you’re not form America then?” The girl shook her head, a small smile decorating her lips. She let her hands run to her hips and pulled a pair of glasses from a pocket. She put them on and immediately stood up, worry plastered across her face.

“Am I in trouble?” Steven shook his head, putting his hand out in front of him for her to shake. The girl took it cautiously and shook it.

“Captain America.” The girl shook back, in addition to her smile and amused expression.

“Claire. Claire Hill.” Steven froze, his hand leaving hers slowly. Natasha had been silent this whole time, but why? Then he remembered where the earpiece was: sitting on a bench in Tony Stark’s kitchen by the fridge. _How could I be so stupid? Okay, sensible question right now, sensible would be…_

 

“Are you related to Agent Maria Hill by any chance?” Claire nodded once.

“Not directly; I’m adopted. She was looking for someone in their teenage years that had a name beginning with C so that she could honour this man she keeps talking about. I can’t remember his name for the life of me but I’m sure you’d know.” Steven nodded.

“His name was Agent Coulson: the biggest Captain America fan to ever roam Earth.” Claire’s smiled enough that he saw a flash of her pristine, snow-coloured teeth.

“Why are you being so nice to me? SHIELD brought me here and said that the Avengers would ‘sort me out’… whatever that means.” Steven placed the apple in Claire’s hand.

“They wanted us to determine how dangerous you are but I know the answer just by looking at you.” Claire stared at him and blushed lightly.

“You’re unpredictable.” He gestured to her hand and she realised that the apple had slowly begun to freeze over in her hand, covered by a thick layer of ice.

 

Claire dropped the apple and the ice surrounding it shattered on the floor, her eyes wide. Steven put his hands gently onto her shoulders and locked eyes with her for a moment. She occasionally glanced at the apple, seeing the ice spread across its now-exposed inner flesh.

“We need someone or something from SHIELD to impress a King into giving Thor back his throne and right now unpredictable is our only hope.” Claire was gobsmacked. _Thor is the God of Thunder… why didn’t he take to the throne?_ Steven let her shoulders go and Claire stepped back a little, still standing close enough to him that she could see his breath in the cold air.

“The King claims that he’ll leave the throne if he’s given what he wants and the timing of your appearance in SHIELD’s custody couldn’t be pure coincidence. Tony thinks he’s smart but he probably hasn’t figured that out yet.” A voice came from behind them and gave him hell.

“I did notice Cap so don’t think you’re smarter than me.” Tony was standing in the doorway with his suit on, only his face exposed.

 

He saw Claire and noticed the floor of the room, the ice spreading around like a giant puddle.

“Can you control it?” Claire glanced at the ground and aimed her right hand at the ice closest to Tony, slowly moving it back. The ice only got higher so she stopped and shook her head, obviously distraught.

“Who killed the policeman? You or the robber?” Claire’s attention was now entirely focused on Tony and his stern expression.

“How could you possibly know that? The newspapers only heard about his death and assumed that he died because of me.”

“Then how did he die?” Claire walked toward Tony angrily and Steven jumped in the way.

“Fine, be that way. We were on a school trip and I noticed that one of the boys had a gun; I just assumed that he took it with him in case we encountered a bear. We were up near a small ski lodge when I overheard him say something about robbing it for all it was worth.

 

“I took out a surveillance camera with the gun so that I could punch him up and teach him a lesson. Instead of a fist connecting with his face it was a big piece of ice jutting out of the ground. Then I saw what had really happened to the camera; covered in sharp icicles. He called the police and they tried to take me in so I got scared. I grabbed his arm and he froze on the spot. An ambulance got there with a pick and broke him out only to find that he’d been dead for an hour. That’s when SHIELD picked me up and brought me here. Anything I forgot?” Claire’s eyes were pink and full of tears.

“I thought I was doing the right thing but apparently all I can do is the wrong thing. If I’m going to prove myself it may as well be to this asshole of a King that ‘Cap’ was talking about.” Tony noticed something on Claire’s hand but brushed it off as the shadows in the room playing tricks on him. Her determined grin was admirable and Steven moved out of her way. She went to shake Tony’s hand but pulled back at the last second, realising that the room was now almost completely covered in ice.

 

Steven raced to the door so he could shut it and slipped straight out the door, knocking over Tony. Claire had managed to get out of the way beforehand, watching on with Bruce, Natasha and Clint as they both sat up. Tony stood up and helped the shield-wielding man to his feet.

“I’m Natasha.” Claire looked at her hands and realised that Steven had not been affected by the ice, so she cautiously took Natasha’s hand. Bruce and Clint didn’t bother with introductions and instead tried to leave. Natasha grabbed them both by their shirts and pulled them back, whispering between their heads. Steven had shut the door and walked to the end of the hall with Tony, the pair going completely undetected.

“Say hello or my foot is going to say hello to your future generations.” Bruce and Clint looked at one another, silently agreeing to acknowledge the girl. They turned back and Claire was laughing into her hand at their disliking of her.

“Leave them be: I’ll be fine with those two…”

 

Claire saw Tony and Steven talking to somebody up the hall to their right who was around the corner, both nodding seriously.

“… around.” Thor stepped into the hallway and walked hurriedly over to her with a hard gaze that made her uncomfortable, showing it in the slightest movement of her feet.

“Are you the girl who has agreed to come with us to Asgard?” Claire nodded.

“Yes. I’ll do anything if it means I don’t have to live with the pain.”

“A fair trade. I ask all of you to come with us: if my brother disapproves then we’ll have no choice but to fight. Even before that, I ask you all to stand behind me, no matter what I do or say.” Tony immediately though of asking Thor what he meant, but he assumed that it was for their safety. Bruce stepped in and stared at Thor.

“And how do we get to Neverland?” Steven picked up on the reference and snickered while Thor grinned.

 

He had been introduced to Midgardian movies by Jane and this one happened to be his favourite.

“We fly of course.” Claire shook her head.

“And I thought I had problems.” Natasha looked at Claire, noting the way she could quickly change character. So few children in the world had that talent and she herself had been one of them; from a smiling, bubbly happy child to a pure-blooded killer. Locking the information away in her mind for later use, Natasha looked up at Thor.

“Alright, so what do we do now? Stand here like a bunch of mindless idiots in a circle?” Thor nodded.

“And join hands so that we don’t get lost. The sarcasm wasn’t necessary.” Tony hated to admit it, but Thor was no longer the stranger on Earth, much as he had enjoyed his stupid comments about human infrastructure and architecture. Claire saw that nobody had even thought of joining hands, so she stared Steven down until he noticed her.

“Well, what are you waiting for, an invitation?”

 

Claire put out her hand and he walked over, taking it quickly. Natasha linked up with Claire on her left, followed by Clint, then Bruce and finally Tony and Thor. A ring of light surrounded them and they were shooting through the sky, wind racing past their faces. They were suddenly standing outside of the palace, the stairs a few metres away. The time had come for the avengers to face the God of Mischief once again.


	4. Trials and Confrontations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor escorts his friends and their young ward to Loki who is immediately curious of the girl before him. Though he claims that  
> they have met before, Loki is more than willing to prove - against all odds - that she is the monster she seeks to rid herself of.  
> What will happen that changes the Avengers mind about Thor forever?
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter may be a bit long so grab dat popcorn!  
> Also, I believe that a song best suiting this fic (which is basically a Loki spin-off that doesn't fit into the Marvel Universe too well)  
> is Already Over by Red: some people like to make music videos so I'm making one for you in conjunction with your own AMAZING imaginations!

The Avengers – with a slightly apprehensive Claire – followed Thor up the stairs of the palace that he had grown up in. The sound of metal hitting stone reached Loki almost immediately as he lounged on the throne, arms hung over its sides and his legs crossed over one another in a regal yet intimidating pose. They were walking but it hadn’t taken them long to stand at the first set of stairs before the second that lead to the throne. He had removed his antler-like crown and sat it by his right hand, showing that if he had to, he was prepared to leave his place as ruler of Asgard. However, it would take quite a feat for that to happen.

“Do you think to fight me with your ally’s brother?” Thor stepped forward and Loki got a quick flash of a small figure with a dark purple vest, a black long sleeved t-shirt and black pants: a mere child. The other Avengers stepped in the way of her and he eyed them. Loki’s curiosity was piqued. He would allow his half-brother to reveal his grandiose plan, but not before he found out why the girl needed to be protected from the constant stare of his eyes.

 

_If she would be unsafe in Asgard why bring her at all?_

“I have what you asked for and I doubt you’ll be able to resist the opportunities that lay ahead of you should you leave the throne.”

“So what great discovery within SHIELD’s catacombs brings all of you here? With a Midgardian child no less.” Steven saw Thor nod in his direction and he nudged Claire’s back gently with his shield.

“Good luck.” Claire looked at him over her shoulder and smiled weakly.

“Thank you.” She lost the smile and stepped out of the small crowd, seeing the ‘King’ upon his throne. He seemed to be rather taken with the appearance of someone so young being amongst the heroes of Earth, her ridiculous eyewear only adding to his standoffish smirk. Claire stood beside Thor and Loki shook his head. Her face had lost all emotion, the sad face Steven had seen resurfacing with hints of an emotion he had never seen in a child of her age besides himself.

 

It was admirable.

“Would you mind kneeling? I'd much prefer formality to a fatality.” Despite the devilish smile on his face that made the human sick to her stomach, Claire dropped down slowly onto one knee, putting her right arm on her right knee as a support. Loki could see her lips moving in a silent mantra and he laughed; she was mortified of him despite the power he could feel emanate from her.

“I can see how much fear is in you, but I can also see your power. Come forward, little one.” Though Claire hated that he thought of her as little, the moment Loki rose she understood why. Not only did his personality and facial expressions speak of his untold might, his astounding height added to the dominant air he carried. Just looking at him was enough to make her shudder as she raised herself from the dark floors, ascending the stairs as he walked down to the platform in between.

Thor watched helplessly as Claire reached the platform, Loki holding out one pale hand for her to take.

 

Claire set it down lightly in his, the small quivering in her palms only excited him more.

“It won’t be painful for long.” Claire became confused, but she soon found the answer as he slowly turned their linked hands and the back of her hand toward the floor. Though he hadn’t twisted it far enough for the pain to be caused by a strained muscle or a lack of flexibility, a searing pain engulfed her body. Claire cried out and the second she pulled her arm back he released it, sending her back down the stairs with horrible cracking sounds. Much to his satisfaction, his enchantment had worked, but she had broken her fall with thin sheets of ice. Claire moaned loudly as Loki followed the path of her body and stood beside her, crouching down to pull her up by her arms.

“Does this look familiar, brother?” Claire raised her head and her hair fell away from her face, revealing what Loki had suspected from the moment she’d entered the room. The skin was changing colour from faintly tanned to a deep electric blue, red eyes staring out at the Avengers with confusion. Her glasses fell from her eyes and she left them on the ground, neglecting to pick them up as she could now see clearer than she had with them on. It was as if she had switched from analogue to high definition TV. 

 

In a split-second decision to avoid being murdered, Claire drew a leg up and stabbed it into the God of Mischief’s groin. He immediately let her go and fell to his knees in such a pained manner that Bruce almost felt sorry for him. Thor had his eyes on Loki, but they were now fixed on the beast in their midst. Claire could see it and looked behind her to see Loki laugh inwardly.

“Who would’ve thought that a girl of my own race could bring me to my knees?” Claire locked eyes with Loki and his eyes dropped to her hands, rising back up in a small movement of acknowledgement to her new appearance. Taking the hint, she lifted her hands up and saw what she had feared more than the mischievous God’s continual calculations of her body and her weaknesses. The blue colour was a terror in itself, as if the colour of the ocean had flooded the pigmentation of her skin, the fury paired with her red eyes becoming a mere amusement for Loki as her hands closed tightly into fists. There was the rage he had felt in her earlier: the quality he had possessed himself for many a year.

 

“What have you done to me you **monster**?” Loki’s hideous evil smile made Claire’s hate for him only grow as he made a mirror magically move up through the ground with a wave of his hand. He pointed to it and kept the smile, taking in how vulnerable she seemed to be in that moment. _I always love it when they get scared… it’s exhilarating._

“See what you truly are and maybe you’ll understand why nobody saved you from me.” Claire turned to the Avengers and caught sight of a blue woman to one side of the hall, her eyes wide. Loki allowed his own body to change, pale skin slowly going through the shades of blue until he was also in his pure Frost Giant form.

“You’re a monster too Claire. Turn around and see what kind of beast I am.” The Avengers, all except for Thor, were as shocked as Claire to see that Loki also possessed red eyes and deep blue skin.

“I know we have met before this day.”

 

“You can join me or accept the fate your friends have set before for you.”

“I’m nothing like you! You stole from your own brother and forced him to do the same to SHIELD.” The moment Claire was walking close to him so that she would be safe from Loki’s savage anger, Thor grabbed a weapon from Natasha’s belt. In an instant he had Claire facing Loki, a knife against her neck. Loki’s smile dropped when Thor gave the girl a cautionary wound, blood slowly running down her arm as her human half regained control of her skin’s colour; he was also returning to his other form as an Asgardian, the blue fading to a sickly pale grey that nobody had expected.

“Hear this; the girl dies if you do not step down from the throne of Asgard. You stole life on earth now I shall steal a life from you aside from your own.” Thor pressed the flat side of the blade against Claire’s throat and she struggled against him, cutting herself in the process. The girl had no choice but to stop and let Loki see that his half-brother was seriously considering killing her for the sake of Asgard.

 

Thor raised his elbow, poised to slice back through the girl’s neck. The fear in her eyes melted whatever ice encased his heart and he almost screamed the command, his eyes becoming a little watery in the process.

“Stop! Let her go… the throne is yours.” Loki summoned the crown to his outstretched hand, a mixture of anger and sadness on his face. Thor dropped Claire and she scrambled over to the other’s, everybody except for Steven and Bruce moving away; the latter slowly walked to her and smiled.

“Well at least I’m not the only one that people run from.” Claire’s face lost all emotion.

“And how is that supposed to make me feel better?” Steve cut in, hoping to bring her mind back into the present.

“I think what Banner’s trying to say is that you’re not the only one people misjudged.” Steven looked over his shoulder at Tony, Natasha and Clint.

“The three of you wouldn’t understand because you’re completely human and we aren’t.” Clint gave his opinion and Natasha was surprised by how serious he was. Usually he would be blunt, not condescending. That was Tony's job.

“She could be on his side Steve, we can’t risk it.”

 

Thor put Loki in handcuffs and turned to the other Avengers, his reply confusing every last one of them.

“I agree with Clinton.” Steve and Bruce looked at each other, asking the same question silently. _Why would they imprison the girl who had come to help them?_ Claire had heard enough and butted into the conversation with a sharp retort.

“Just because I’m blue like him? Is that your solution for everything? It looks scary so it should be put away?” The idea that a human found him ‘scary’ amused the trickster so much that he snickered.

“You were angry with yourself for killing a man so this is your punishment: sharing a cell with a monster.” Claire stared at Thor and noticed Loki’s sly grin. It seemed to be that both men wanted her in a prison cell.

“So that’s it then? I get locked away with myself for the rest of my life because I'm not human?”

 

Now every pair of eyes were on Thor, waiting to see what he had to say. He motioned for Claire to come over and she did so with extreme caution. Thor released one cuff from Loki’s wrist and stuck it to hers with such a great speed that she had no time to move away. Loki wasn’t grinning anymore and Claire looked as though she was going to retch.

“Wait, you mean I have to share a cell with him.” Loki leant down and whispered something in Claire’s ear and she tensed up, clearly not happy with his comment. Now she was mortified and angry all at once, her face a mix of emotions that had Tony and Clint regretting their choice to stand back any say nothing.

“You’re disgusting.” His anger toward her had begun to grow, so much so that he was tempted to use his free arm to strangle her.

“Before you both leave I ask you to stay and witness as I become King as I should have before an ungrateful man took it from me by way of his tricks.” Thor ascended the stairs and sat on the throne, a brilliant light spreading through the room as rubble and debris formed back into their correct places. His own clothing had changed: the dull grey metal had become gold and copper, his red cape edged by a golden pattern resembling snakes slithering around one another.

 

When the transformation was complete, Loki and Claire found themselves unable to speak.

“I sentence you, Loki of Jotunheim, to spend your life in the dungeons with nobody but Claire Hill as your companion.” Loki stared at Claire, waiting to see what her sentence would be. If he had to share a cell with the girl he needed to know that she would have time to suffer for embarrassing him. When Thor had said the name Loki he felt the cuffs jitter, as if she hadn’t figured out who he was.

“Claire of Midgard, you show remorse for your actions but a life is a life. As a human you are bound by human law, so you are to live out yours days with my brother. If we are lucky enough, you may outlive him and re-join us as a noblewoman.” Claire kept calm as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

“But I’m human: I’ll be dead in 80 years.”

 

Loki shot her a glance as if to ask her how she could be so simple minded. Then he remembered that she didn’t know of Asgardian or Frost Giant blood the way he did.

“I have a combination of Asgardian and Frost Giant blood while yours is Midgardian so you’ve got much less time than me; give or take 800 years.” The way Loki’s face dropped as he inspected her closely was almost terrifying.

“I ask of you both one final task; kneel.” There was a tension in the air as Loki lowered himself to the ground with his head bent, Claire following in near-perfect unison.

“Guards, take them to the dungeons.” The other Avengers were outraged by Thor’s actions and walked toward the throne as Loki and Claire disappeared. The God of Thunder was never full of pride or enjoyed irony, so why start now?


	5. Below The Throne Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Claire are in a cell, the one Loki had been in mere days ago. With their aggressive nature's showing through, how will Loki and Claire deal with the idea that their paths had crossed before? And why did the God of Mischief profess his love for her?
> 
> (Warning: Beware the Hiddlestoners)

Claire sat at one end of the rectangular cell, eyes burning holes in the ceiling above her as she refused to look at **him**. She couldn’t believe that a man who’d killed so many innocent people had been put in the same category as her. Loki could hear her whispers of hatred and took them in his stride, not that he was walking at all. He too felt the strain of imprisonment, but not in the same way as this girl. She was a child who needed to learn and grow, not sit here and become stunted by four walls pressing in on her. Though he wouldn’t admit it to anybody, he sympathised with Claire. They had been in the room for only ten minutes and already he was bored with his book, taking his eyes away to stare at her until she noticed blue eyes slowly moving down to hers. She shifted uncomfortably in the corner, the yellow barriers finally catching her attention as she leaned against one slowly. She closed her eyes, sighed and opened them again.

“Why do I interest you so much? Do you hate me because I know who you are?”

 

“How would your knowing my identity make me hate you?”

“Because I know what you are and how little trust I can have in you. I may be dumb but I’m not stupid; you want to teach me everything you know for your own gain and the opportunity is gone. Freedom isn’t so bad after all, is it? Now when you’re taking it from others.” Loki’s blood was getting warm as anger leaked into his mind and fuelled his words.

“And why would you care about New York? It’s not where you truly belong.” Claire read the man’s expression, knowing what direction he had headed this conversation in.

“If you think that I’d join you on the dark side you can forget about it. I’m not siding with the man that put one of my mother’s closest friends in the ground." Loki’s attention was now completely focused on Claire’s face. His book had been long abandoned.

“And who might that be?”

 

“Maria Hill: she’s an agent of SHIELD and you killed someone she cared about. To think she chose me of all people; related to psychopaths like you who deserve to rot in hell for all eternity.” The venom in Claire’s voice was the final straw. Loki stood and snarled at her, a heat running through him as blood became magma beneath his skin.

“You think me a monster? Why don’t I prove it?” With his long strides and even longer legs Loki was at the other side of the room before Claire could stand **and** move away. One warm hand pressed itself around her throat, closing over her small neck. As she clawed at his hands, Claire absentmindedly moved her hair away from her neck and let him see a scar resembling that of a bite from a wild animal, the small marks arranged in two semicircular shapes. He was too close for Claire to handle so she pushed at his chest; because of his sheer size compared to her, along with his strength, she had no luck. The man was practically pressing himself against her.

“What’s this?” Loki traced his fingertips over the old wounds and he saw a vision of what Claire remembered: a big dog running at her, tackling her to the ground and biting her because she had – in a rather unfriendly manner – pulled on its tail as a child. Before he left the vision he caught sight of something else and… he saw the scars true origin. _Impossible!_  He stared at her face, noticing the similarities it bore to the face of another long forgotten, memories flooding back in a heartbeat. When Claire saw the disgust in his blue eyes she didn’t know what to think, so she just prayed silently that he would let her go. As if another God had heard her silent plea, he released her, shock on his face. He calmed himself and stood back, not even trying to keep his distance.

“You don’t remember anything, do you? Of the past?” Before she could get another word out, Claire seized up and fell to her knees, bruising the tender flesh around her joints. She grunted as her skin paled, losing the light tan colour and became a pale blue. Her entire body felt cold; almost frozen like the ice she'd created in front of Steven. She felt like sobbing but instead gasped as pain slowly flooded every cell in her body.

“What’s happening to me?”

 

“The genetic engineering is wearing off; soon you’ll return to your true form. Now that I know who you are I can rest easy knowing salvation is sitting on the opposite wall to me.” Loki extended a hand cupped her face in his hand, forcing her to look straight at him, blue eyes piercing her very soul. They searched her face for something that said she recognised him, but he found none. Taking one last shot at brining her memories back, he tried to aim for her heart despite knowing that it had been broken.

“If only you knew how much I love you.” Claire’s body seized up one final time and she slid down the yellow field, losing her balance and almost falling into his arms as he lifted her face to see his. She had once been strong and unyielding but this sickness from her body fighting against changes that had been made so long ago... it would be impossible for her to live more than a week. 

“When you wake you’ll feel all the better.” With those words Claire let her consciousness drift away, her mind going blank. All she could do was sleep it off. Whatever the trickster had in store for her, it wouldn’t be pleasant.


	6. God of Thunder and Extreme Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor's friends may think they know Thor's intellect as well as Loki, but the God of Thunder proves that he has as much Brain as he has Brawn. He also reveals a few family secrets which hold no concern for the Avengers...

Claire and Loki had left the room and immediately the Avengers had swooped in to speak with Thor.

“My friends do not worry. I know why you come to me and there is nothing wrong with me. My brother and I never got along well and it was time someone found out his secrets. If I’m right, he will do something only Loki would do and we’ll have to take Claire out of that room.” Natasha was sceptical and edged to the side of the other men, looking at Thor on a sideward angle.

“What would he do to cause that? Is he going to kill her?” Thor stood and left his throne.

“He may have appeared to be looking at us, but he was only listening with his ears. I can tell when he’s using his illusions and I know for a fact that he was staring at the place Claire was standing the entire time; he knows her and that could mean that she is an ally. If not she could still be a threat and I need her out of there when she finds out what they are to one another.”

 

Bruce piped up and shocked them all with his question; it was about math of course.

“So Asgardians live for 5,000 years and Loki lives for a little less, right? So why does Claire only live for 800? Mathematically speaking that doesn’t add up.” Thor looked down and remembered Loki’s conversation, seeing the numbers in his mind.

“As I said, she’s unpredictable. Whatever estimate Loki has on her age is based on knowledge he either has stored away or has kept a secret and we need it. The sooner we know who or what Claire really is the easier we can bring Loki back to what he used to be.” Steven eyed Thor.

“And what’s that exactly?”

“My brother… and a father to his children.” The group fell silent as Thor trod past them, his face stern but not angry. They all recognised it as deep thought.

 

“Come, we should meet the people and see what they think of their visitors.”

“What about their new King?” Thor smiled at Natasha.

“Him too.” Bruce was still confused about the other thing that had made them quiet.

“And Loki’s children? What about them?”

“None of Loki’s children are here; they all disappeared around the same time. First was his youngest daughter Hel who has taken care of the Underworld for a thousand years. She tried to leave Helheim and begged friends and souls to call her Helena; on the one day she was allowed to visit Asgard she disappeared. Her brother Fenrir took the name Henry and went to Earth as a mortal to find her; he was soon followed by Jormungandr who gave himself the name Jon. I have not heard from any of them since. All I know is that Loki disowned them and said they were better off alone.” The group was satisfied with Thor’s explanation and brushed off their worries as they entered a hall full of men drinking. Is wasn't anything that they hadn’t been expecting to see.

 

DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!


	7. Down Below The Throne Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki proves that he can be both a kind soul and the monster that destroyed New York...

Claire was half asleep as her eyes opened slowly. Turning her head a little she saw a knee, her head resting on someone’s upper thigh, too weak to sit up. Her body ached and there was no way to move as a hand slid down the back of her hair, releasing it from the confines of a flimsy black hair tie. They shifted her thick, dark brown hair to reveal her ear along with the scar on her neck. She knew exactly who it was and said nothing, waiting to be strangled to death. Nothing. Using what strength she could muster, Claire sat up and practically threw herself away from the man’s leg. He did nothing to stop her and disappeared in a yellow light, his body replaced by a dark green cloak. The real Loki was sitting on the other side of the room with his legs crossed, eyes peeking over the top of his book to stare at her. The pain set in and Claire winced, muscles giving out and leaving her to sit up against the shield keeping them in the room together.

“It seems you have developed a fear of me.”

 

“Knowing how easily you could have killed me in my sleep is all the reason I need beside the fact that you claim to love me.” Loki grinned and sat his book pages-down on the ground beside him, standing and walking over to Claire. She realised that her half of the room was covered in ice while his was bare apart from a small table and a thin mattress.

“And when did I say otherwise?”

“Actions speak louder than words… and your actions speak of anything **but** love. It’s not your character.” As Claire edged away Loki sat down from her and smiled.

“Then what **is** my character?” Claire kept a straight face and analysed his, trying to piece together all the emotions he was hiding. She decided against it and took on her darker side. It was time to have some fun and God be damned if she didn’t go to hell for it.

“A born leader who has always been misunderstood and has a father complex – did I forget to mention that you’re a murderer?”

 

Loki licked his lower lip in thought, the reaction from Claire highly amusing. Her face said nothing but the word disgust.

“Do you remember what I said to you about sharing a cell with me? You seemed so unsure of the truth in it that all you could think of was how disgusting it would be.”

“Well when someone says ‘we could share more’ I wouldn’t think of a person looking for companionship. At least, not where I come from.” Loki tilted his head and looked at the scar again.

“You came back and that’s all I care about.” His hand reached out to her and he had a pleading look on his face, as if he were about to cry.

“Trust me, please. I’ve been waiting for you patiently and I have you here with me like I’d promised. I ask that you grow to love me in return.” Claire sat up as Loki stood, his hand still held out to her.

“How can I trust you? You only play tricks on people.”

 

The room glowed and pixelated into yellow shapes, revealing that Loki was in fact in his frost giant form to avoid the cold and ice across the room. It had spread across every piece of furniture and was slowly encasing his book.

“Take my hand and everything will change for good.” Claire hesitantly gave him her hand and lifted her to her feet, his hands wrapping around it in an almost protective way.

“You have magic in your blood that I and very few others understand; I may not wield magic but my illusions are the closest thing to it. Close your eyes and focus on the ice and my voice, nothing else.” Claire slowly let out a breath and closed her eyes, keeping her mind on the ice as he’d asked.

“Good, that’s a start. Now imagine the ice melting into nothingness; disappearing into thin air. Your problem is that you increase the power you use to rid yourself of the ice instead of drawing it back in and it only grows stronger.”

 

Claire’s skin regained its natural colour and the room began to warm up. The thick, heavy ice faded, his book now completely thawed out and unharmed. Claire opened her eyes expecting Loki to be frozen but instead he was smiling in a way she hadn’t seen before; he looked genuinely happy. She glanced around the room and pulled slowly out of his hands; she walked around to be sure he wasn’t tricking her into believing that he was being kind. Realising that she had never been able to control the ice, Claire turned back to Loki.

“How did you know what to say to make me thaw out the room?”

“It happened a long time ago and I said exactly the same thing as I did then. As far as I’m concerned you haven’t changed in the slightest of ways.” Claire walked back to him and looked deeply into his eyes, completely and utterly confused.

“Did you help me because it was getting too chilly in here for you?”

 

“I believe a different individual found it too cold in here.” Claire glanced at the floor with a small nod, her eyes returning to his face.

“Do you enjoy games? Surely on Midgard they’ve taught you a few.” With optimism in her heart, the girl grinned and her nod became more pronounced.

“Yes, I suppose.”

“Why don’t I teach you a favourite of mine? Perhaps it will bring us closer and bring back your memories without hurting you physically or mentally.” Claire put her tongue in her cheek as she thought, a mischievous smile spreading slowly across her face.

“Okay, how do I play?” Loki grinned with half of his mouth, the other half staying in place.

“It’s simple: put your hands out by your head as if you’ve just been caught.” He feigned defeat and showed her how to do it, her laugh making his smile disappear.

 

“What do you find amusing about that pose?” Claire restrained her laughter behind errant hands.

“I just thought that you looked almost attractive when you aren’t in control.” Claire raised her elbows until they were making a straight line with her shoulders, unaware of the danger she had put herself in at that very moment.

“Now close your eyes and be prepared.” His smile was so cheery that she didn’t dare question it until the last second, realising that it had been a mistake as her eyes shut. Loki leapt against her and her eyes flew open, hitting his chest as hard as she could. His hands were wrapping themselves around her wrists like manacles. He slowly brought them above her head and grasped them in one while the other held her face to look at his. _No, no! Stop it!_

“You beast! Get away from me!” Loki bent his head down and his mouth had arranged itself in a sinister smile she had been earlier.

 

“Make me.” Claire could barely breathe as she called out for someone she could trust.

“THOR! Help me please.” Tears streamed down her face as Loki pushed his entire body against Claire’s, a sudden realisation dawning on her; he was moving closer to her mouth and his hand had abandoned its post at her chin. Turning her head to avoid such an act, Claire bore the scar to him – what he had **really** wanted to see.

“So simple minded… you were never this way with me.” Loki pressed his lips to her neck and kissed the scar, a flash of the last time he’d seen her flickering through his mind. A sudden pressure on Claire’s hip made her squeal: she had looked down and seen its source, terrified. A strange heat spread through her stomach and moved below the top of her pants, the feeling worrying her and exciting **him** too much.

“You pervert! Let go of me so I can kick you to the ground myself.”

 

As she turned her head to see his reaction, Claire found his lips crushing and bruising her own in a fight to pry her mouth open. In a few seconds his tongue had invaded her mouth and his hands had left her arms to push her head closer to his so he could deepen the kiss. Using what she thought would be a clever trick, Claire brought her knee up toward his growing arousal, only to be blocked by a swift movement of his hand. Now he was supporting her using the yellow field of the cell, his hand moving along her knee toward her thigh. She finally broke this kiss and turned away, her crying finally reaching his ears and those of the other Avengers as they entered the dungeons. The shield fell and Steven rushed in, grabbing Claire by the arm. He dragged her out while Thor shouted at Loki distracted him. The shields came back into place quickly, Natasha walking Claire away with Steven by her side.

“Now you shall have NOBODY with you! I hope you enjoy eternity alone brother.”

 

“I AM NOT your brother and I never WILL BE! Give her back to me.” His teeth clenched.

“If you treat a child that way I’d hate to think of why Hel, Jormungandr and Fenrir left.” Loki screamed for no apparent reason and sent everything in the cell flying toward the walls. He fell to his knees, sobbing as if what he’d done could be recompensed.

“From now on you can only speak with Claire: anything more and I will personally chain you down so that she can claim your life for Asgard.” Loki stood up slowly and walked to the shield, obviously using his trickery to seem strong-willed.

“You know who she is, don’t you? I thought it was obvious.”

“Stop lying to me Loki. You have no clue who or what she is and the powers she has have nothing to do with you.”

“On the contrary, she has everything to do with me.” The fake Loki smiled wickedly.

 

“When she remembers she will beg you to let her back in.” The illusion faded and Loki was in the middle of the room by the shields again, head hung low. He lofted it enough that Thor could see his tears and the red around his eyes.

“And I’m not proud of what I did but what else could I do? Be kind and make her remember me? The person she was all those centuries ago thought of me as a man to be hated so she had to hate me.” Thor walked away and Loki cried out after him.

“I WILL have her! You cannot keep her form me!” Thor walked out into a corridor to see Natasha hugging Claire.

“What happened?” Natasha motioned for Steve to stay with the girl while she spoke with Thor, Tony and Bruce.

“She hasn’t said anything yet, but from what we saw the only conclusion is that Loki forced himself onto her.”

 

Bruce took a deep breath and huffed a little, certain that the Hulk was coming out. Loki may have been cruel but this was pushing his limits. Thor grabbed onto his arms and looked him in the eyes.

“This won’t play out well if you become the Green Man: Loki knows who she is and that knowledge can only come from him. Until that time we keep them apart. When she is able to speak to us again we will ask her what he did.” Tony was staring down the hall and the other Avengers eyes followed. They saw Steven sitting beside Claire with an arm around her neck. She leaned into him and he set down his shield, the second arm encompassing her in a comforting embrace as his head tilted upward to see the others standing still with their faces contorted by pained expressions. The smile he gave them was fleeting as he looked down at Claire, her tears dried up.

“You’ll be okay; you have us.” He smiled again and stood. Natasha and Bruce battled to hold back a laugh as Claire stood and gave him a hug. He gladly returned the gesture and it melted their hearts.

 

Tony couldn’t handle the emotions running through the room and left to find Clint, probably still impressing the men at the hall with his arrow-shooting skills. He and the others needed to get their minds off of Loki and Claire, that much was easy to guess.


	8. A Bond To Be Broken Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki has set in motion the cruellest process of the Avengers lives: finding a member of the team brave enough to help   
> save Claire by giving her the one thing Loki took from her. Who will back away and who will take up the impossible task?

Natasha and Claire went to a small room with a bed in the middle, Asgardian nurses directing the latter to lay down on it. Thor has said they could find any issues, but they both remained wary as Claire took up the vertical position. She was glad to be off of her weary feet; Steven had walked with her for a few hours to take her mind off of Loki, discussing the Second World War with him as if he had no issue with it. Her apologies for the questions were greeted with his charming smile which was so much like Loki’s: the only difference was the warmth that it held in it, not some synthetic kindness put on for show. Holographic images flashed above her body and one of the women shook her head, staring Natasha down.

“Can I speak with you out of the room my dear?” Natasha left the room for privacy’s sake and left them to talk. When the conversation was finished, a nurse welcomed Natasha back in, overhearing the beginning of a new subject or perhaps the same one.

 

“He bonded with me? How the hell did he do that?” The nurse cut in quickly.

“Any contact of a romantic or intimate nature can bond Frost Giants together. It can only be broken if you share that same contact with a person who has feelings for you stronger than the other man. May the All-Father have mercy on the man that did this to you.” Claire smirked and remained still as the rest of the examination, the results conclusive.

“Someone has tampered with the very structure of your DNA. The technology for such purposes was taken away some time ago so whoever did this may well be the one that bonded with you. He’d be old enough. You won’t last long in your Midgardian form so I suggest finding him and forcing him to change you back to what you truly are; it’s the only way to prevent a premature death. It will happen in bursts of pain and extreme cold.”

“How long do I have? I need to know.”

 

The nurse turned to her colleagues and they all nodded in agreement at her estimated figure.

“You have three days until your body begins to freeze over. By the end of the week the process will be complete and you **will** die – it is what it is.” Claire sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, head hung low. Natasha cut in before her newest companions mind could wander too far into the future or into depression. She knew enough to understand that sadness would not help her situation.

“I’m going to see what the others have to say. I’ll take you back to a room where you can sleep; it’s getting dark out.” Claire lifted her face and Natasha could see how distressed she was.

“I have to tell them: maybe someone has been harbouring a crush on me and a kiss form them will solve my problems or at least get me out of this bond **he** created.” Natasha nodded emotionlessly in thought as Claire dismounted the bed.

 

The nurse grabbed her arm and whispered something into her ear, Claire’s expression changing from optimism to terror in a split second. She looked at Natasha and shook her head as tears threatened to floor form her eyes.

“This won’t work. I’m such an idiot to have trusted that beast.” Claire rushed out of the doors and ran right into Bruce who grabbed her wrist when she tried to storm away, his hand sitting lightly on her shoulders.

“Hey kiddo, what happened to you?” Claire licked her lower lip and refused to make eye contact with him, her gaze fixed firmly on their feet. She held back the tears and kept her voice low, an almost angry undertone detected as she calmed down. _What did he do to you? Tell me._

“I need to speak with all of the Avengers and tell them what’s going on; I have a plan but nobody is going to like it. Not even you with your logic.”

 

Realising that he had misjudged Claire as an average, rebellious teenager rather than a young lady, Bruce smiled and laughed.

“I don’t remember being thought of as logical; green maybe, but not logical.” Claire smiled back and Bruce put an arm over her shoulder.

“Did you get taller in the last hour or am I shrinking?” Natasha followed behind Bruce and Claire as they walked away, jokes passing between the pair as Loki had once delivered insults to their team. Natasha tapped Bruce on the shoulder.

“You gather the others in the Throne Room; 20 minutes Bruce, not a second longer.” Bruce patted Claire on the back and left, walking quickly toward a flight of stairs. Natasha looked at Claire as her eyes followed Bruce, waiting until he was out of sight to turn back.

“Why were you staring at him?”

 

“I was just wondering what might happen to one of them if Loki found out about my plan. If this bond runs as deep as I think, it could be very easy for him to figure it out. But anyway, we should get walking, shouldn’t we?”

“Do you think you can say all of it without getting upset?” Natasha was proud of Claire’s response, the young woman raising her head a little higher and looking out over Asgard, seeing Bifrost in the distance with its brilliant sparkling colours.

“I have no other choice… and if I have anything to say about it, Loki won’t either.” Natasha smiled and led Claire away to the room she had designated as the Throne Room, Claire poking fun at it the moment she was sure she could manage to smile herself.

 

 

Next chapter will be a bit odd to write, so don’t expect me to immediately produce another chapter; I will try to get it out soon though XD


	9. A Bond To Be Broken Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A table discussion with Claire taking the lead: a decision has been made for the night, but as for the rest of the week it remains to be seen.

Claire was standing at the end of a long table that Thor had directed them to, feeling that speaking while in the ‘Throne Room’ was too open and they could be easily disturbed. At the banquet table they had the privacy of doors and none of them felt like calling out to one another; their focus was entirely on Claire and her trembling hands as she held onto the backrest of her wooden chair, knuckles turning white as she flexed them. She was ready to speak after another few seconds of collecting what she needed in her mind, planning out every word. The ones she **could** , anyways.

“I went to the… Asgardian ‘nurses’ of sorts; they said that Loki has forced me to form some kind of bond with him. I need all of you to understand that I had no choice in what happened. Any questions yet?” Nobody moved, nobody spoke. They could see how distressed she was and wished that Claire would stop, but she had to say what was necessary.

“In a week I’ll be a living statue made of ice and I doubt that anybody here would want that to happen. I have two choices and I want you to know what they are. The first is that I leave Asgard and live in SHIELD’s protection until I die doing what I love.”

 

“And what’s that?” Claire followed the voice and saw Tony sitting across from Bruce at the end of the table, his eyes watering in the sweetest way. He was worried about her.

“I can work with SHIELD like you. Though he has a heart made of ice Loki showed me how to control my… abilities.” Natasha watched Claire pause as a tear threatened to move past her lashes, palms sweaty as she tried to continue.

“What’s the other option? I mean it can’t be worse than being a snowman.” Claire smiled and acknowledged Bruce’s joke, the others smiling despite their unhappy state.

“One of the women stopped me and said that I can break the bond if the action that initiated it is repeated by another person who has strong feelings for me. Last I checked none of you would be willing to throw me up against a wall.” Claire’s lack of tears was almost admirable, the direct nature of her joke so abrupt that they couldn’t help but wait for the rest of her comment. In the silence Tony thought out aloud, not telling Claire that he wasn’t present when the incident had occurred.

“Loki put you up against a wall?”

 

“You were their; don’t pretend that you didn’t see what he did. The only other option I have is someone putting themselves in Loki’s position and re-enacting the whole thing. Luckily it won’t be word for word. It’s only the feelings and the actions that matter. I have to be scared and that won’t be very hard. It’s the other person that worries me.” Claire had hit her emotionless expression, her seriousness kicking in to counteract her growing fear.

“If no one here is willing to repeat Loki’s mistake then I will have no other choice. It’s one of you or **him**. I hate to be blunt but that’s what we all need; facts. The fact is that Loki may have powers over me and I intend to find out what they are. While you take time to think I’ll spend one night in Asgard in a cell across from him to avoid any more incidents he may have planned. I might be able to find a way to break it myself if I can see it at work. If not i give you the power to overrule what I want and make the final decision for me." The Avengers fell silent as Thor stood and motioned for Claire to leave.

“Natasha, take Claire to a cell and make sure she is safely inside. We will discuss our options while she tries to find out what she can about this bond.”

 

“If luck is on our side as you believe Claire, your plan may work out for the better.” Claire nodded and left the room with Natasha in the lead, all the men burying their heads in their hands. No two poses were the same but they reflected the same emotions: fear, confusion and deep concentration. How could any of them be so cruel to the girl that had brought their fiercest enemy down in this manner? It would be a long night, but they would all get through this one way or another.


	10. Tricks of Temptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki exerts a power over Claire which leads to Steve punching her in the stomach... something that none of them had predicted.

Claire was standing with Natasha at the entryway to the dungeons. Loki’s cell was to their right while hers was on the left, directly across from him. Claire had grown tired of waiting and couldn’t remember asking Natasha to keep her there, though she secretly wanted to stay. Natasha was too quiet; usually she’d fidget with her guns when the other men weren’t around because of the awkward places she had hidden them.

 **“** Why are we waiting?” Natasha tapped an ear that was hidden behind her red, flame-coloured mane which had grown considerably since 2012. In a split-second decision not a week ago she had cut it back to the length it had been then, perhaps to remind herself that she could never be care-free again. She had done that one too many times before. Claire eyed her for a moment as the gesture registered in the back of her mind, minor shock setting in with a trickle of relief.

“Is somebody coming with me?” Natasha nodded and Claire’s brow knitted together, head tiling and dipping a little as she pieced together what she needed and wanted to know.

 

“Not in the cell though?” Natasha nodded again and Claire felt rage run through her veins, the pressure in her mind building. If the Avengers had wanted her to feel safe they had failed - miserably.

“Why are they putting me in with someone else? I’m supposed to go in alone and see what Loki’s playing at. That was the plan we agreed on.” Natasha kept her face emotionless – though she understood Claire’s distress at not being trusted – and leaned to her right, spying Loki. He was pacing back and forth in an almost ritualistic fashion. She quickly ducked back to avoid being seen by the man’s intense gaze. Not only was he pacing, he seemed to be angry.

“Plan’s change Claire. He’s a calculating man and knowing his twisted mind he will try to use illusions and tricks to turn you against us. If we have someone in there they can keep you sane.” Claire was feeling flustered and walked past Natasha by a few paces, earning her a strange glare. _What do you think I’m going to do? Run?_

She turned back to meet Natasha’s stare having calmed down almost completely. Humour was once again on the rise.

“So who’s going in with me? I’m sure as hell not sharing a room with Tony: he’s too up himself.”

“You aren’t the only one who agrees with that statement.” Claire spun of her heels and came face-to-face with Captain America himself, smiling down at the younger woman with kindness in his eyes.

The shock of seeing him dressed casually in a blue, long sleeved hoodie and jeans had Claire both confused and grateful at the same time. Now he didn’t look like he was preparing for Mardi Gras.

“When did you find the time to change?” Steve shook his head and smiled.

“I didn’t. I’m wearing my uniform underneath. This place gets pretty cold at night.” Claire held back a yawn as Natasha tapped her on the shoulder after leaning to her right for a second time.

“I think you should go. He finally sat down and his pacing was making me dizzy.” Her eyes moved to Steve, stating what she hadn’t been brave enough to tell Claire.

 

“He’s been pacing since we got down here: he’s been waiting for her.” Despite how uncomfortable it was to know that both adults were probably under strict orders to keep an eye on where her allegiances lie, Claire said what may or may not get her locked up with the God of Mischief.

“I bet it has something to do with the bond. It’s almost as if he knew I was close by.” Steve cut in.

“You two need to stop thinking and take action. Natasha, are you escorting us?”

“Go ahead and I’ll put you in line.” Steve smirked.

“That’s a bit rude considering that I’m your senior officer.” Claire decided to follow Steve’s lead of cutting into the conversation, voicing the confronting question that had come up in her head.

“Did you say ‘us’? Does that mean they chose you to break the bond if my plan fails?” Steve didn’t nod, opting to put a hand on Claire’s shoulder and look into her eyes. That kindness and compassion she recognised so well was there again. _What are you doing Steve? Why bother with gentleness when you know full well all of it may have to be thrown away at a moment’s notice?_

 

“That may be the case but I’m also here for moral support should Loki get to you.” Claire didn’t dare to ask whether he meant in in the physical or mental sense; it would only make him feel worse than he already did about the decision.

“I’ll talk to you about when we get in, okay?” Claire nodded and Steve slid his hands around her shoulders in a friendly and surprisingly gentle hug. The feeling of warm fabric under her hands became a welcome sensation. The hug broke and Natasha let her jaw slacken in anticipation. She was the last person to barge into break up conversation, her own opinions and ideas spilling from her mouth.

“Well let’s not keep him waiting any longer. Much as I’d like to see him suffer we’ve given him more time to plan his actions and calculate all the outcomes that stem from you going back.” Claire and Steve turned with a light blush across their cheeks, walking ahead of Natasha into the Valley of Death. Natasha watched the cell wall fall away and move back up as soon as the pair was inside.

 

Steve immediately sat in the corner and crossed his legs, Claire standing a little less than a metre away by the yellow field. Once Natasha was sure that they were secure she spoke, Claire refusing to let herself sit in the presence of Loki. She had caught glancing up in her direction.

“Okay Thor, they’re in.” As Natasha left their line of view she gave them a glance that practically screamed two words: stay safe. Loki stood and Steve decided to let him taunt Claire as much as he liked, but the second he did something to worry her, his status as a silent observer would disappear. Then he would be the super-soldier everybody saw him as. Loki was a standing quite close to the yellow field of his cell, the white becoming an amazing contrast against his coal black hair. His smiled was making Claire’s skin crawl but she didn’t let it show.

“I see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have resorted to giving you a body guard: am I really that dangerous?” Claire put her tongue in her cheek as the thought, moving it to give a witty comment with a menacing yet teasing tone.

 

“No. Just lecherous.” Loki’s eyes widened a little, gobsmacked by her lewd implications. At least, he viewed them as lewd. Steve just saw it as her proving the point that Loki wasn’t the only person on Asgard who could jab at other people with his words.

“Oh I’m sorry, did my extensive vocabulary still your tongue? My apologies.” Steve’s grin infuriated Loki and – in conjunction with Claire’s particularly clever insult – started something that he knew may never stop. Loki glared at Claire until she locked eyes with him, stepping out of his cell and onto the floor below. Steve looked at Claire, prepared to pounce on Loki if he got too close. Her triumphant smile dropped as Loki strutted across the hallway, getting close to the wall of the shared cell. Steve tried to stand but the air around him had grown heavy, nothing moving save for the blood in his veins, his wild eyes and his mouth. Claire backed away from the wall as Loki stepped in, his slender legs leading the rest of his body through the cells yellow wall. The young woman before him froze and he did the same, taunting her to no end.

 

“Am I dangerous yet? You have no defence’s, no weapons… you are now utterly vulnerable.” Claire thought to jump to Steve and move him, but invisible hands threw her to the ground, her body hitting the end of the cell with a loud bang. The white wall made her body jolt on contact, a bruise forming along her lower back as she sobbed once, no tears leaving her eyes. She raised herself from her knees, not wanting to be humiliated in front of Steve by going down without a fight. Loki strode over to her and his hand met with her cheek, an unfamiliar fire burning its way across her clothed skin. Its epicentre was under his hand, the heat spreading as her heart rate and breathing grew faster. He slammed himself against her and the bruise throbbed, his maniacal laugh echoing in her mind as she squealed at a new sensations wandering around her stomach and to a place lower down. Loki read her like a book and revelled in what he could hear her body say: immense pain, strong confusion and the tiniest hint of pleasure hiding behind it all. _Interesting…_

“I daresay you like being up against a wall.”

 

The way he mewled into Claire’s ear made the heat grow stronger and she was on the verge of crying. Loki’s mind was so focused on the girl beneath him that he neglected to keep an eye on Steve. With no focus on the magic holding the man in place, Steve managed to rush up behind Loki and swing an arm **through** his back… right into Claire’s stomach. Hard. The real Loki was in his cell, clothes torn around his arms and chest as the illusion faded. Seeing Claire cry those few hours ago had torn him apart inside and he knew that destroying furniture would not rid him of the pain. Instead he had opted for ripping at his veins and his heart to rid himself of the deep-seated guilt. Now he was inwardly screaming at Steve as he watched Claire fall forward into his arms, her whimpers and fast breathing reaching his ears. The look on her face was too hard for either of the men to look at, but Steve had no choice. He had to gauge how badly he had really hurt her, considering that she had powers beyond his minds reach. Loki suddenly began to shout at Steve and Claire wanted to tell him to hush, but her pain was too immense.

 

She was helpless to stop the savagery that was Loki’s anger.

“You STUPID MORTAL! How DARE you hurt her? She is MINE, not yours.” Steve fought against his worry for Claire and the urge to beat Loki to a pulp with Bruce’s help for being so obsessed over her.

“You forced your mind and then your body onto her; she is no more of yours than she is mine.” The men were in a staring competition, Steve occasionally glancing at Claire until she sat up in a demonstration of the fact that she was alive. Her voice was so quiet and weak that Loki almost didn’t care about what she had to say.

“Well at least I know how much pain he should be in right about now.” Steve smiled at her and helped the young woman stand up, moving to the corner he had been sitting in earlier. Loki sat in the corner and found Claire staring at him as Steve threw his hoodie over her quivering shoulders, confused by his dishevelled appearance. She didn’t know whether she hated or pitied him and the confusion showed itself when she almost hit Steve for trying to move closer to her.

 

Her silent, tear-filled eyes kept him alert but his expression softened into something that spoke less of shock and more of worry. She was very independent and didn’t want his help so he would only offer if she needed it. All he could give her was comfort and room to breathe.

“Sorry, I’ll give you some space.” Steve pressed himself into the corner, Claire quickly pulling the hoodie around her chest. Loki was smiling at her and she couldn’t go to sleep. Judging by the way he slinked to a thin mattress by the white wall and sat on it while staring at her, he wouldn’t either.


	11. So Close It Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki keeps Claire up for most of the night by simply staring her down and getting a little too close for comfort.   
> What does he do to make her change the way she sees him?

It had taken him some time, but Steve had managed to fall asleep with his head propped up against the white wall to his left, his red, white and blue upper body standing out like a sore thumb. Claire was wide awake; Loki had been staring her down all night. Despite how much she wanted Steve to hold her close and make her forget the man across the room she felt as though she would be betraying him… but why? She should only feel hate toward him and yet here she was, trying to piece together the name of the emotion running amok in her mind. It was tied to that feeling Loki had ignited when his hand touched her face, his attempt to show – love perhaps? – failing completely. It was in this moment that Claire had pieced together what Loki did. _That bastard! He was using the bond to make me want him._ Claire let her eyes close with that notion in mind, convinced that Loki had given up on arousing her body or her attention. Just as she was relaxing Claire was pulled from the beginnings of sleep, her entire body seizing up as a hand ran along her neck and stopped to grasp her shoulder.

 

 _He’s not, is he? While he thinks I’m asleep? Does this mean he’s going to…_ Loki leaned toward her ear and whispered into it, her blood running cold when she knew he had caught her.

“I know you’re awake Claire. I want to feel **everything**.” Loki’s knees dropped between her shins, one sliding past her knees as she closed them to prevent it moving any higher, her eyes opening in horror. Loki enjoyed his newfound ability to influence Claire’s body: he was making her nerves feel his leg – which was actually just one of his illusions – slide higher. The idea that he may be able to do this to every part of her body made a wicked grin spread over his face and it only grew wider as he shuffled forward, his other knee pulling up beside the other. Claire wasn’t strong enough to resist him and let her knees pull up a little to allow him to sit between her legs. _Nothing yet… maybe he’s thinking?_ Claire was about to say something when – quick as a flash of lightning – Loki put a hand by her hips and the one on her shoulder moved to the wall, his upper body diving forward. He pressed his lips to hers roughly; his tongue ran over her lips invitingly, a rather animalistic attempt to pry them apart and ravage her mouth.

 

When he succeeded, Loki let the hand by Claire’s hip sit on the object itself and slowly moves it up, his thumb sitting under her left breast. The opportunity was there and Claire took it... she bit down hard on Loki’s lip and he jerked away from her. The metallic taste of blood came in a trickle down his upper lip and his tongue flicked out to get rid of the worst of it, his glare fixed on the young woman before him.

“Sorry Loki: looks like you’re not the only trickster on Asgard anymore.” Loki revelled in the way she angrily and – almost seductively – said his name.

“Why are you only now using my name?”

“I didn’t think you deserved to hear me say it.” Claire let her chest heave as her lungs screamed for the air the man had neglected to give her when he stuck his tongue down her throat. Loki moved back and Claire stood, looking at Steve as her expression softened.

“You have no reason to stay, so leave.”

 

Loki swiped a finger open his lip and it healed, his expression becoming neutral as Claire looked back to his hulking figure.

“When that man wakes up he will have to force me into a kiss the way you did to make this bond and break it. If and when that happens I’ll go back to sharing a cell with you. Until then I don’t want you back in here, understood?” Loki disappeared and his real form was in the cell opposite her, feet tucked under his thighs as he sat in a cross-legged position. The power he felt in her while he was sitting atop the throne was surging and he knew that she would feel the wrath of her condition soon enough.

“The pain will be returning soon… if you break the bond we’re both doomed to die.” Claire kept her expression as neutral as she could manage, her only emotion becoming that of uncertainty.

“What does the bond have to do with my death?” Loki stood and walked to the cell wall so that Claire would be able to hear him clearly: he hated to repeat himself.

 

“Frost Giants only bond with another of their species once in their lifetime. However, if the bond is broken by another person the connection disappears; some Frost Giants are able to love afterward, but not as strongly as they did with the one they were bonded to. In a few cases they have been separated and it lays dormant, something as little as their scent bringing it back. If the bond is broken by death, the living partner goes into something reminiscent of insanity. Just seeing you over there with him is like having somebody constantly stab a dagger into my heart.” Claire stared at him as her expression hardened into something he hadn’t expected to see: defiance.

“And that’s how I feel when you touch me.” _Liar!_ Loki’s darker side surfaced and built up into a rush of adrenaline, his face burning in anger along with a devious smirk.

“That’s a lie and you know it! You just don’t want to admit that my hands being on your body was enjoyable. Give me the time I need and I can show you how well mischief blends with the enjoyment of a man’s company. You’re a smart girl Claire: you can understand what I’m saying… any thoughts?”

 

Claire’s heart was pounding, almost smashing against her ribcage as Loki’s illusion appeared in the cell and his real body hid away.

“I **thought** that you were told to leave.”

“It isn’t that easy Claire. I will go mad if I don’t have you under me…” The way she walked back into the wall made him both sick and aroused at once, the evidence showing as a bulge beneath the thick, constrictive clothing covering his groin. Claire glanced at it and her stomach churned at the thought of him shoving her roughly against a wall and taking her like a wild animal – any woman’s worst nightmare. Her hands flew in front of her face, arms creating an X shape to hide the fear screaming at her to run while holding her still. Loki kept his distance and moved his tunic further around his body so that it hid his true feelings from Claire’s eyes. Seeing her fear he toned down the hatred in his voice, sounding more like a human than a God.

“Come to me willingly.”

 

Claire realised that he hadn’t come any closer and she slowly lowered her arms, revealing that he had in fact stood in that same position for a whole minute.

“I promise to only ‘prove myself’ worthy of your affections. Don’t forget, I’m not the only one who is thought to be a monster anymore.” Claire moved forward and put her back to the opposite end of the room. He followed her with his eyes and she found his steady gaze to be something far less intimidating than pure rage. She willed her legs to take her closer, the older man watching her curiously as she took in a deep breath and stood directly in front of him. The girl didn’t dare look into his eyes, her stare settling on the gold metal mixed in with the leather and dark fabric in his clothing. Loki could see the slight tremors running through her shoulders and kneeled, Claire following suit. His arms wrapped around her shoulders lightly and Claire felt as though she was going to sob. Where was the anger, the cruelty, the monster that destroyed New York? Now she knew what he meant by the metaphor with the dagger… she could feel it slicing at her heart for being so crude.

Claire timidly let her arms move around his neck, standing up on her knees as if they were her feet so that he wouldn’t have to bend down to her. After a whole minute with their arms closed around one another, Loki moved Claire back and held her at arms-length, searching her eyes for the permission to kiss her but his own uncertainty stopped him. In a gesture of love and to keep in line with his promise, he brought his head toward hers, stared at the mark on her neck and let his warm lips brush her cheek tenderly. As he moved back he saw the hazed lust in Claire’s eyes and realised that his feelings were creeping into her mind. For the first time in his life he said the two words no human had heard him utter before… not with this much blunt honesty behind them.

“I’m sorry.” Claire’s eyes lost the haze and the sorrow filled her head, a realisation dawning on her. _If the bond is allowing us to share our feelings… why is he upset?_ Claire moved back to the wall and sat down, secretly wishing that he would come back. In that moment she truly understood how strong the bond was. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage if she had the chance… until then she had to sleep. There was no way that she could deal with Loki when she was half-awake.

 

I almost cried writing the last chapter so don’t feel guilty if **you’re** heart starts breaking… mine died!


	12. A Most Frightening Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve thinks that Loki is up to no good but Claire thinks otherwise: will Steve break the bond or let it be?

Steve woke up the next morning and found Claire leaning on his shoulder, dark, thin semi-circles under her eyes. As he stared at her soft features he noticed that her skin had slowly pale and was now becoming a deep blue. Claire’s body jerked as she woke up, body shuddering as ice spread across the floor. His suit provided little protection from the cold and he shivered. Claire saw what was happening and – as soon as her own shivering would allow, scrambled into a standing position. She aimed her hands at the spreading ice and drew its cold icy power through her hand, absorbing the energy into her body as Loki had instructed. Steve couldn’t believe his eyes. She really had gained control over her abilities. He had to confirm her story for himself.

“Did Loki really show you how to control it?” Claire’s eyes lost their blood-red colour and her skin faded back to its natural state.

 

“Yes. Did you wake up at all during the night?” Steve was alerted to the calmness in Claire’s voice.

“What did he do?” Claire chose her words carefully as Steve stood up, replacing his jumped and zipping it up, his eyes never leaving her.

“He tried to kiss me again when you fell asleep but I managed to force him away. Then he apologised to me not long afterwards.” A few chills ran through Steve’s body as he enjoyed the warmth of his hoodie, not bothering to bring up the hood to cover his face. Seeing the calculating look in his eyes Claire decided to add on to what she’d already said.

“Do you need more time to analyse the situation or do we have to go with plan B?” Claire sighed worriedly, sure that her answer would annoy him.

“Neither. I’m going back in with him.”

 

Steve grabbed her upper arms lightly and looked her in the eyes, obviously scared for her. He lowered his voice so that Loki wouldn’t hear what he had to say.

“That’s suicide and you know it Claire. What’s gotten into you?” It was Claire’s turn to get angry; God help Loki if he tried anything should she get the Avengers and Steve to agree with her plan.

“He’s like me Steve; lost and alone. He hates everyone else because they hate him. How long did it take for people to accept you?” Steve felt the insult hit hard, but her tone of voice didn’t suit the trajectory of an insult. She was trying to convince him that Loki was good: he knew what had to be done.

“His hold on you is too strong: I’m sorry.” Steve moved his hands further down Claire’s arms to grab onto her hands but she wouldn’t allow it.

 

While his grip was loose she pushed him away with incredible strength, his body smacking into the white wall. Claire’s mouth dropped when she realised what she had done, Steve recuperating for a moment on the ground – her eyes were wide for fear that she had killed him. Confirming that he was alive, Steve raised himself up from his stomach and stood, letting Claire see the split lip and small line of blood.

“Why did you do that?” He wiped at his mouth and a sting moved though his jaw, more than his lip feeling the pain of the impact.

“Steve I… I didn’t mean to –” He raised a hand to stop her, a frown appearing on his now-bruised face. _Did I really push him that hard?_

“Plan B it is.”

 

Claire froze as Steve strode over to her and gripped an arm hard, almost tossing her against the wall she had thrown him into. His palms flattened against the wall by her shoulders and Claire shuddered, pulling her head down toward her chest. Steve practically growled, knowing that whatever he did or said after this would ruin any chance of her ever trusting him again.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“Then stop; tell them that I have a plan and that I can take care of him myself.” Surely you can see that I’m not under some kind of spell. Steve moved his upper body back a fraction, allowing Claire to lift her head.

“I can’t just take your word for it: prove it and I will.” Claire looked into his eyes and was practically pleading with him to stop with his insistence.

 

“It’s not that easy. The bond won’t let me do anything but avoid men who aren’t Loki… but I suppose I **can** say what I want to.” Steve watched Claire’s eyes fall to his hoodie as she thought. She looked to the floor and closed her eyes, purposely letting him hear what she was thinking.

“I get the feeling that I’m going to regret this someday.” Her eyes went back to his face and tears stung them like tiny shard of glass, the two brown spheres glistening under the cell’s lights.

“Kiss me.” Steve could see nothing but fear being reflected between them and held her gaze for a moment longer, hoping that something or someone would stop him but they didn’t. Claire closed her eyes and waited for the aching in her heart to stop after Steve kissed her passionately, but he didn’t even lay so much as a hair on her. She opened her eyes and he was still standing there, arms by her shoulders and a saddened – perhaps even shamed – stare piercing her soul.

 

Claire almost threw herself at him and gave the patriot a hug, the aching only growing worse. As she pulled away a scene flashed before her eyes as if it was played on a screen behind her eyes.

 

_In a dark hallway lit by torches a man stood with head bowed, her arm reaching out to touch his shoulder lightly. She was saying something but didn’t recognise the words that came out. The man lifted his head, revealing a younger looking Loki with hair that barely reached past his ears. She smiled to him and he smiled back, encasing her in a tight hug…_

 

Claire moved away from Steve and he followed her with his eyes as she stared into the floor. _What the hell was that? I haven’t seen Loki before now…_ Claire’s legs felt as though they might not be able to hold her up and her mind was a mess. _How could I have possibly known him before I changed? I thought he was lying just so I’d like him more!_

 

Loki was in his cell when he felt a tug in his heart, Claire feeling it too as she turned to face him. The questioning look on her face was worrying him but the moment another party saw the expression they were sharing, they assumed the worst.

“What did you do?” Natasha’s threatening tone snapped Loki into his brave, cocky character and Claire couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He on the other hand seemed accustomed to the tug in his chest and faced the red-head.

“I did nothing spider. She is simply gaining more memories of her past that I took away. Once she tells you of all the things I’ve said perhaps it will shed some necessary light on my situation.”

“What could you possibly have said that would make any of our team members see you in a different light?”

 

Loki looked at his feet for a moment and then back to Natasha.

“I told her that I was sorry.” The woman continued to glare at Loki, the darker side of her personality showing through.

“What about New York? Are you sorry for **that**?” Loki’s face fell as if he were considering his answer. All at once the man found that he fighting with his own principles and those that he had been raised to follow, finally understanding what he had done.

“Saying sorry would not even begin to make amends: it was a regrettable action I wish I could take back had I seen what pain it caused. That is why Claire isn’t in a cell further away. You hoped that she send me in the right direction.” Natasha didn’t dare to ask how long he had been thinking over what he did in New York but it didn’t matter.

 

She just wanted answers to the big questions.

“ **Has** it worked?” Loki smiled in Claire’s direction the way he had after escaping prison with Thor, wishing that Claire felt the same way he did.

“I’d follow her anywhere. I think you’re much the same with Barton.” Natasha stared at him a little while longer, slowly making her way over to Claire and Steve so she could give the order to let the wall down.

After listening to Fear The Fever a few times, I have realised how relevant it is to this story, so this is another one to suit the atmosphere between Loki and Claire XD


	13. The Truth Has Set Her Free Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is in his cell with Claire and things get a bit fiery... not to mention weird.

Claire was in the cell with Loki yet again, the mischievous man keeping his distance. Thor had made it mind-numbingly clear that if she so much as smiled the wrong way because of his actions he would regret it. The Avengers had given odd stares as Claire entered the cell and sat down a whole ten minutes ago; he had flushed cheeks and looked as though he had been fighting somebody. Why should he let them know that he had his hand wrapped around himself to relieve the stress in his mind and body? If anybody knew what he had really done Thor would probably have shoved Mjolnir up his ass. When he smiled at the thought of Thor doing something so grotesque the smile came out as something resembling malice and the entire team tensed up. To prove that he respected her personal space – and was done toying with them as well – Loki moved to the opposite end of the white wall and stuck his nose back into the small leather-bound book he enjoyed so much. He glanced at Claire occasionally but she didn’t see it, her back to him, staring through the yellow shields and scanning the halls around each and every cell.

 

She even tried to count all the tiles across the floor, giving up when she reached just past 400. The way she stayed silent was sad and he wanted to change that; he wanted to see her smile. Loki stood up and strode over to Claire, seating himself beside her and crossing his legs as she had done.

“What happened to the side of you that enjoyed my company? You wouldn’t come back if the feelings you have aren’t of a romantic nature, surely?” Claire turned her head and gave her blunt reply, the anger she felt towards him finally coming out into the open.

“Fine then; rape me like you actually cared about my feelings once.” Loki’s hands seized her vest and brought her centimetres from his face, knees shaking at the odd angle she found herself on.

“ **Don’t** tempt my dark side. I’d like nothing more than to have intimate relations with you but never against your will. I will never be the man that destroyed New York again.” Claire’s entire body quivered and Loki let go of the vest, gently moving his hands to her shoulders as she kneeled in a more comfortable position.

 

Now she was facing him completely, her neck no longer on an angle.

“Why do you hold back?” Loki ran one monstrous hand up her neck and held her face up so that he could see it clearly, fear painfully obvious in the eyes that were looking back at him. He smiled in disbelief and brushed her cheek with a thumb to calm her a little.

“You can’t honestly tell me you’ve never been with a man before?” Claire looked at her knees and grinned nervously as she nodded. Loki smiled and leaned forward, gently pushing Claire and pressing her back into the white wall that had been beside them.

“I know you wouldn’t want to give yourself to me now but I’m sure you couldn’t say no to a little exploration.” Rather than forcing her legs apart as Claire had expected him to, Loki pushed them together and sat on her thighs with his knees either side of her hips. He attacked the unmarked side of her neck with passionate kisses and her immediate reaction was to move away. Anticipating this movement, one free hand moved to the opposite side of her neck where the scar was, pressing the soft flesh closer to his mouth.

 

She squirmed, made a small, almost inaudible moan and unknowingly grazed his groin, his manhood reacting in the only way it knew how. Claire had no clue what to do or say so she did what made sense – she took the logical option for once. Loki fought back the urge to growl when Claire moved him back and placed small kisses on his cheek, each one moving closer to his lips in a slow and oddly sensual succession. By the four their lips had made contact and she couldn’t take the initiative to move her tongue in the way that a woman would in this situation. Loki picked up on her nerves and slowly pried at her lips until she let him in. Claire’s lower body throbbed like a second heartbeat, hands absentmindedly settling on Loki’s hips as they had a kissing session in their cell. He broke the kiss and looked at her hand, surprised and flustered to say the least. She saw his erection and hid her amusement, blushing incessantly as a wicked thought crossed her mind. One of her hands slid across his stomach to test how skittish he was, finding that he was hard underneath due to the thick layers of muscle he’d built up over the past thousand or so years.

 

Loki raised an eyebrow until her hand made a bee-line for his groin. Despite how much he wanted her to touch him it was wrong and he found himself slapping her hand away. They had swapped emotions again: the lust was indeed alight in both of them, but his emotions were too strong for her to handle. Now he could feel the uncertainty and understood what she had **really** been feeling. He didn’t want to show himself in a bad light but she needed to be herself again.

“Claire stop. This isn’t what you want. You **hate** me with all your being.” Claire’s mind became her own almost instantly and she took in a shaky breath.

“I…” Claire wanted to say that it wasn’t true but her mind was telling her not to lie. She looked at the floor to avoid seeing the disappointment in his eyes.

“Get off, please.” As Loki moved his leg over Claire she had another vision.

 

_A woman with dark hair was laid out on the bed she had been on in the presence of the ‘nurses’ on Asgard. A strange hooded figure was standing behind her, removing his hood as the woman shook violently, screaming and crying as her skin changed from blue to a beautiful tan.Her body shrank and became that of a teenage girl. Loki was standing there with a blank expression, completely unreadable. When the woman spoke, there was no doubt about it. The tone of her voice, the way it sounded, the mannerisms… it was her._

 

Without another word, Claire stood and almost shrieked at Loki, the high pitch in her voice coming through.

“I wasn’t always a teenager, was I? I used to be a grown woman.” The way Claire stared off into the white of the floor below her in disgust only cemented it in his mind further. Soon she would fall for the last time and the real person of his interests would arrive before him.

“Why would you put me through all that torture? All blank stares while I lay there screaming in **agony**?”

“I wouldn’t have held myself together that way in front of you if it wasn’t out of love Claire. You don’t know what I see right now. I see both the outside and the inside; I can see what you **really** look like under that Midgard outer shell.”

“And what is that exactly? A woman you loved once? Some cheap whore you gave your soul to?” Loki was full of blind fury and slapped Claire hard across the face.

 

As she stumbled back a searing pain filled her body and she froze, her body collapsing in a heap. Heimdal was alerted to her pain where he stood watching the Nine Realms. He opened a portal to allow Thor – plus the remaining Avengers – into the hallway where Claire and Loki were in captivity. They watched Loki rush to Claire’s side and Thor lowered the shield. As Claire watched Loki get man-handled by his brother and force him to stand against a wall, she let out a terrible scream. Before she blacked out, Claire heard his voice spill forth a short, cryptic sentence.

“Guess whose back?”

Next Chapter will be interesting to say the least so tune in next time for whatever you can call this fic: I swear it’s just an OC+ the bad guy and a one of the good guys ;) And YES the last line was a reference to the song that goes “Guess who’s back? Back again…” and the way it is associated with Loki reappearing at the end of Thor: The Dark World and the beginning of The Avengers.


	14. The Truth Has Set Her Free Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire is back in the Avengers all alone with a man and she doesn't want anything to do with him... at first.

Claire woke slowly from her long slumber to find a familiar jumper under her head. _Where is everyone? Why do I have Steve’s hoodie?_ An arm appeared and pulled Claire to a sitting position and she hit it, running straight into a glass wall with her shoulder. She saw her reflection in it and began beating on it, begging and screaming.

“Don’t leave me here! Let me out, PLEASE!” With one last beat of her fists in unison, Claire slid down to her knees, her chest heaving. She was back in the Avenger’s Tower: they were probably going to experiment on her, but Loki… she only now realised where she had been in his life. As Loki’s footsteps approached, she kept her head down.

“Stay away from me you **beast**! If I ever find you within a metre of my body again I swear upon my mother’s left arm that I will kick your sorry ass all the way back to Asgard.” Loki stopped for a moment, walking again.

“Didn’t you hear me Loki?”

 

Claire turned with her head still bowed.

“BACK off before I force you.” The depth to her tone was alarming, but still he got closer, in his red, blue and white… _oh my God! I’ve been screaming at Steve?!_ Claire snapped her head to look at the man in front of her, shield firmly attached to his arm. He undid one of the buckles and slid it off slowly to show her that he meant no harm. He put his hands out in front of him with his palms facing her, both protecting him and calming her at once; she felt a bit like an animal in captivity being coerced by the zoo keepers to behave itself.

“Claire, Loki is gone and Odin is back on the throne. Everything that has happened since he fell of the Bi-something-or-other was planned by Loki and his daughter to bring the Avengers into being and lead to the death of some guy called Thanos. As we speak Hel… I mean Helena, is fighting with her three brothers and her father to take away the power that he has gained. She is going to use her… magic.

 

That’s why you saw those memories: she put them there to lead you off of the trail. Even the healers were in on it!” As Steve continued his explanation, Claire became more and more aware of the truth they had hidden from her. Hel – who had been jumping form Midgardian to Midgardian over the years, stumbled upon her ingenious plan to have her father cause chaos as he very much enjoys, bring about the birth of the Avengers and cause the deaths of innocent people whom Helena’s automaton would look after while she resided in Claire’s subconscious mind. Apparently Loki lied about the bond to explain why he wanted Claire so much too. Helena and Loki had bonded and shared a bed together after her brothers had been rather cruel, her father giving her a real kiss and it progressed from that point onward. Being black and gnarled on one side of her body while the other was normal held no appeal to the Asgardian men. At the age of 1020, Hel was more than capable of being on her own, but what she desired most was a companion and her father had taken up that position and more… too many for Claire’s liking. Odin had been in hiding. Frigga was dead.

 

“Wouldn’t Odin be pissed about his son having a relationship with his Granddaughter?”

“It turns out that Hel can manipulate her DNA so that she is not genetically related to him. The look on Thor’s face pretty much described what we were all thinking; how much weirder can this day get?” Claire nodded and sat down, her mind letting the information seep in.

“So I’m not a Frost Giant anymore? I’m human again?” Steve shook his head.

“But if Helena is gone then I should be back to normal right?”

“You are… but not without any ‘special abilities’. She said that if I gave you this you would understand.” Steve crouched down, picked up his shield and pulled a gnarled piece of wood off of the metal next to a buckle and strap where he had stuck it down. Claire took hold of it and immediately the wood grew and stretched until she was holding a staff, the gold engraved in swirling in leaf-like patterns to the end of the dark oak. Her clothing changed too: as a flash of green light dissipated she found herself wearing something she felt was reminiscent of the elves in Lord of the Rings.

 

A pale grey tunic that reached just past her thighs, a deep purple pair of leggings and a deep purple undershirt to match her legs: along her arms was a birthmark-like pink mark in the shape of a snake, Helheim's symbol of acceptance. On her hands was a pair of gloves with the fingers removed, dyed grey to match the tunic. It was an odd colour combination but even Steve had to agree that it suited her… and in all the right places too. Shaking his head to get rid of the thought, Steve sat down a few metres in front of the young woman before him.

“It was a gift from Helena… for all the odd situations you found yourself in while you were in Asgard. She  **also** begged me to give you this.” Steve passed Claire two small glass bottles – no taller or wider than her thumb – one coloured pink and the other a pale blue. They were twisted around one another in an odd shape, similar to the gold leaves on her staff.

“She wants you to take it with the love of your life so you can become Asgardian's and live with them on Asgard in the future. You’ll become young again. Kind of like me.” Claire smiled at the little glasses and a tear slid down her cheek.

 

“She should take them back.” Claire looked up into Steve’s eyes and saw how bloodshot they were.

“I have nobody Steve. No boyfriend, no love interests… aside from Maria and Director Fury nobody likes me for me.” Steve stood and put out a hand, smiling down at Claire. Slowly and timidly, her hand met his and Steve pulled Claire to her feet.

“What about us? The Avengers? Or me?” She smiled weakly as the tears began to well up, voice straining the longer she spoke. Claire sounded far gentler than her ruff-and-gruff self that had kicked Loki to the floor and struck out at him.

“That’s different Steve and you know it. I’m talking about someone who would want to marry me, start a fam…” Claire heard the words in her mind and her mouth became a hole of sadness and fear all at once. _IMPOSSIBLE!_ Almost attempted to tear herself away from Steve but he fastened his arms around her back, pulling her close. If Claire didn’t calm down God… Hel knows what might happen.

“Let me go.” Claire pushed against Steve's chest hard enough that she could see his face, but close enough that she could feel his breath on her face; her elbows were bent and aching form the effort it took to move away from him.

 

“No! Not until you tell me what happened just then. You were saying something about starting a family?” As soon as the words left his mouth, the realisation of what was wrong his Steve like a tonne of bricks. Claire was fighting to hold back a sob when she heard a voice say what she was hoping not to hear: he knows.

 

 

Suspense! I suck at it but we need it: a new pairing will appear soon and it is MIND-NUMBINGLY obvious who, but how far will it go?


	15. Tradgedy Follows Those Who Hide The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Steve have admissions for one another and the do what the mini fandom wants them to...
> 
>  
> 
> XD 

Claire stood to escape Steve and released her staff, her normal clothes returning. The man wouldn’t let her go in such a state. She began to tremble and he loosed his grip, holding her at arm’s length as she finally sobbed into the air.

“Hey, what happened to the woman that kicked Loki to the ground? The brave soldier?” Claire’s voice became murky as her tears flowed freely, saliva building up in the back of her throat.

“That’s you, not me.” She swallowed and found it hard to breathe, Steve’s softer side coming through. He pulled her toward his chest gently, putting a hand to the back of her head and gently coercing her to put her head to his shoulder. He felt something cold on his shoulder and realised that it was Claire’s tears creating a wet patch on his uniform. His own head moved held hers in place with his jutting chin. After a few minutes Claire pushed back and he let her go, hands moving just under her shoulders to keep her near him. She was still upset but her expression was no longer sadness; it was full of understanding and mild annoyance which piqued his curiosity.

 

“It was part of the deal Hel made with me. All the lives I could have brought into this world for two that can last a millennium.” Steve nodded.

“I suppose that would be a fair bargain. But Hel could have at least left you with somebody to believe in here on Earth.” Steve remembered what he had been thinking to say, forced himself to push it into the recesses of his mind and waited for Claire to reply. The air surrounding him told her that he was hiding a secret and she was just about dying to know what it was.

“What could you possibly have to hide Steve?” He pulled a pair of dog tags from his collar and showed her where he had scratched out the cross.

“Don’t tell me that you denounced Christianity?” Steve smiled big and shook his head. Through his short drawl about the decision he had made, he kept his tone stern but gave it a kind edge; the slight aggressiveness in his tone made it a little more fun than it should have been.

“I didn’t denounce it, I left it. I was brought back from the dead by SHIELD, fought against aliens that were spawned in other galaxies… I even saw the dead. None of that came from Christianity Claire; it came from Asgard and people in the real world. Hel is both God and Satan in one body as far as the Bible is concerned and I don’t know who to believe anymore.”

 

Before Claire could state the she agreed, he said something she hadn’t been expecting.

“But there is one thing that I do know… and that’s how much I care about you.” Claire smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, whispering her thanks in his ear as her heels met with the floor. He smiled and hugged her a second time, waving to a camera in the corner that Natasha had concealed form their view. When nothing happened, he waved his arms across one another. A panel of glass slid away and revealed a tall, rectangular screen. Of any member of the team to be in front of them, it was Tony.

“Oh, so she woke up? How’d you sleep?” Claire turned her head up and tilted it, giving the Iron Man a look that made him laugh.

“Don’t worry kid, Cap was looking after you until we got back.” Tony turned his attention to Steve and didn’t bother to ask about Hel’s gift or Claire’s reaction.

“Rogers, I hate to say it but you’re both stuck in there for the night. We have the um… ‘keys’ to the cell with us but Jarvis malfunctioned and we have to look through each one to find a match in his coding. I found an older version of him and started it up in my suit an hour ago.”

 

Claire felt like punching the smug grin off the billionaire’s face, so mad that she missed out on the last sentence altogether.

“Stark, how many of these keys are there in Jarvis’ coding exactly? A couple’ million?”

“Around about there. You’ll be fine though with all that magic voodoo crap the she-devil gave you.” Tony felt his suit rise and fall through the air. Jarvis cut in after analysing the situation, Tony’s skin growing pale.

“Sir, we have just dropped 30 feet due to a large air pocket that appeared out of nowhere beneath us. I suspect it came from the subject known as Elementress. I believe you call her Claire Hill?” Tony scowled, Claire snorting as she and Steve fought back a wave of laughter. His expression was priceless and she wished that she had a camera with her to keep that face on record. However, it was gone and he was more than pissed off: he was angry.

“I hope you two have fun screwing around tonight!”

 

Tony cut the connection and Claire’s mouth was hanging open like a snapping turtle waiting for its dinner to swim in. She brought her lips into a small ‘o’ shape before she spoke again.

“What did he just say?” Steve went to one of the room’s walls and punched it, creating a large web-like pattern that stemmed out from the impact zone his hand had created. Claire sat down in front of the screen as a panel slid up to cover it.

“Did that help?” Claire moved her back up against the glass and allowed her blood to heat up by a couple of degrees so that her back wouldn’t ache. She had always been rather sensitive to the cold and having Jotun blood had made things unbearably uncomfortable for her back in Asgard.

“He knows what I think.” Claire looked up at Steve and raised an eyebrow.

“I think everybody knows what you think about him: we all think exactly the same thing.” Steve shook his head seriously. Claire bent her head further forward as he took a seat beside her, finding her eyes partially hidden by her dark brown locks.

 

“I’m not talking about Tony, Claire. I’m talking about you.” Claire laughed and when she saw the serious and slightly maddened expression on his face she stared at him.

“You’re kidding right? What do I have that you find so interesting?” Steve smiled and put a hand to her cheek, turning her head so far that she had no choice but to make her body follow. When she was within a short distance of him, Steve smiled and pressed their lips together gently. It was only short, as if he were afraid to let himself become immersed in his own feelings of lust. That was an emotion that he had fought with for a few years and only now was it causing him issues again. Claire knew what he was thinking and took on a quality that Loki and Hel’s actions had brought her into the presence of: domination. Gently resting a hand in Steve’s short blonde hair, Claire sat up on her knees and kissed him. This time however, she did it properly.


	16. Captain Hill Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all...

For a few seconds Steve thought seriously about pushing her away and moving to the other side of the cell to calm himself and his body, but he wasn’t in control of it anymore. In a heartbeat he had her sitting up in front of him. Claire tensed up when he put a hand out and pulled at the zipper of her vest. When the zip was down, he moved one large hand underneath and the deep purple, woollen fabric and put a hand against her back. She seemed to be even more confused than he was.

“Are you nervous?”

“Wouldn’t you be when someone putting their hands all over you?” Steve yanked his hand from her back and closed her vest over her chest, holding the two halves together. He was looking down at the zip, not daring to see those eyes looking back at him in fear. Claire was definitely confused now.

“Do you want this or not?” Taken aback, she huffed and smiled awkwardly.

 

“I do Steve, but you look like you’re about to punch something; what happened that’s gotten you so riled up?” Their eyes met and instead of fear in her eyes, it was in his.

“I thought you’d know what to expect.” Claire leaned forward and laughed toward the floor, trying not to think of what he was implying.

“Did it look like I knew what to ‘expect’ with Loki?”

“Then we’re both virgins?” Steve let all emotion drain from his face and his tone grew serious. “There’s no way I’m doing this to you.” Steve stood and walked to the other side of the cell and turned back to see Claire with her arms crossed, not angry or upset. She was going to reason with him now that she had the opportunity.

“What’s wrong with both of us not understanding what to do?”

 

“The basics are easy enough to figure out with a bit of common sense.”

“That won’t change my mind and – I don’t mean to be crude – but that doesn’t mean I haven’t tried… anything else.” Steve gulped and looked at the floor as if he were searching for a lost set of keys. Claire smiled and held back the urge to say something to annoy him by sucking her lips through her teeth. She pushed them back out and forced herself to keep a grin in place.

“Then that makes you more experienced than me. You have **no choice** but to take the lead.”

“And that’s what worries me; I fell for you when I saw you in this cell with those ridiculous glasses… but what I feel for you isn’t right.” Claire raised an eyebrow and her arms stubbornly refused to uncross themselves.

“What led you to that conclusion? How much fun I seemed to be having with Loki?”

 

“You’re practically a child and I’m in my nineties: 97 to be exact.” She frowned.

“Physically Steve: you can’t count the years that you weren’t awake to see.” Steve breathed out through his nose heavily and walked back to Claire. He held her steely gaze and she didn’t flinch when he kneeled down in front of her. Claire let her arms relax and sit against her thighs

“In that case I’m thirty.”

“Okay, so that’s a bit less than 15 years between us… it could be worse you know.”

“How could it be worse?” Claire held back a laugh as her grin progressed into a sly, teasing smile.

“You could look your age.” Steve laughed and leaned an arm on his raised knee to avoid falling over onto his side. Claire let the comic in her fade away and her smile was almost gone, lingering as she took on a more serious tone.

 

“You needed that: we both did.” Steve looked her in the eyes and made the decision to sit behind her, letting his arms slide around her shoulders, careful not to move them downward in any way. If he did he would have ended up in second base and it seemed too early for that. Claire surprised him when she moved his hands away and took off her vest only to discard it nearby. The fact that she folded it was hilarious to Steve and he just stared at it. Thinking on his feet, Steve moved the hair on Claire’s right shoulder when she sat back and hungrily kissed her neck. She squealed in surprise at the feeling of his mouth over her jugular vein and tilted her head to the side so he could get a better angle. Claire turned her head and Steve moved his head up to kiss her, quickly reassuming the position they had been sitting in earlier. Steve figured that – since she was brave enough to remove the vest – perhaps she would be more comfortable without another layer.

 

While they were still kissing, Steve grabbed a hold of the black shirt’s edges and slowly moved the thin cloth up to expose Claire’s light skin, stopping at her chest. She raised her arms and he pulled it over her head. Claire realised that he had taken the white singlet off with the shirt and glanced down at her chest, blushing furiously. Steve stood up and removed the belt around his waist and the harness over his shoulders, Claire somehow not noticing the change in his uniform: like his own body, it had mass to it. Next was his outer jacket, then a shirt, leaving him in a white singlet to match her bra.

“I’ve been asleep for longer than a day haven’t I?” Steve looked down and said nothing until he had cleared his mind.

“You don’t need to worry about it: it’s in the past and I’ve been thinking about my past for too long.”

 

Claire sighed as she glanced at the toned body hidden beneath the singlet, her mind and body battling with one another. He was too vulnerable to be intimate with in this state, but perhaps it was something he needed to hear.

“So what we’re doing isn’t your way of getting rid of stress? You want this because of what you feel for me.” Steve let a hand sit on her shoulder and smiled, kissing her on the forehead.

“Of course. That’s why I’m still here and not breaking the glass wall down. And also because I know Tony would be yelling at me for ruining the tower.” Claire smiled and ran a hand down one of his arms, almost diving to grab the singlet and take it off. Steve shook his head and lifted his arms so that she could remove it, tossing it onto the pile of his clothing to their right. In a feat she had never thought to accomplish on her life, Claire pushed Steve down and sat over his thighs while she unhooked her bra, keeping eye contact with him to avoid thinking too much about her insecurities.

“I’ll save you the task of begging.” With a short struggle the bra came off and Steve could see Claire’s generous chest, revelling in the fact that she had wide shoulders. It meant that he wouldn’t crush her and that there was so much more of her body to explore.

 

This was getting too long so next chapter will continue on XD


	17. Captain Hill Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ending of chapter 1

Steve leaned down over her, their bare chests close to touching.

“Close your eyes and don’t open them.” Claire shook her head, leaning up on her elbows until their faces were a few centimetres away from one another, Steve moving away at the same time to avoid contact with her.

“No way! I’m not letting you have all the power here.” Steve grinned in a kind, mischievous manner and put a hand just above Claire’s breasts, forcing her down against the floor.

“Have it your way then.” Steve kissed Claire and moved his body to one side of hers. His eyes were burning holes into Claire’s as if they could shoot lasers.

“Why are you staring at me like that for?”

“Close your eyes and this’ll be easier for both of us: you don’t know what to expect and I can tell whether I’m doing this right.” Claire laid herself out on her back and looked straight up at the ceiling.

“Is this good enough for you? I can’t see anything past my own nose besides the white paint up there.”

 

Steve eyed her body a moment longer, slowly dragging one hand up from her knee to her thigh. As he’d expected her to, she immediately pulled her legs together to hide what she was feeling; virgins were always hypersensitive the first time… that’s why it hurts so much. At least, according to what he’d been told and learnt over the past 30 years. He let a finger wriggle under the pants waistband and pull them down enough for a small patch of pale flesh to appear along with a pair of pale pink underwear. Steve planted a kiss on her hip and Claire’s feet locked together, her thighs somehow tightening further. From what little experience he had, Steve knew she was taking the wrong approach to everything he’d done so far. Clenching her legs together only made the ‘odd sensations’ grow stronger and her body would soon be aching for something better than feather-light touches or caresses. He couldn’t let that happen; not yet. His hand slowly eased the pants down a few centimetres at a time, sliding them effortlessly over her feet. When fingers found their way to the hem of her underwear Claire sat up, unable to hide her surprise and obvious worry.

“What are you doing?”

 

Steve held her gaze and pulled the fabric down. Taking the initiative, Claire used one of her owns hands to move it over her ass, the supple flesh cooling against the ground. Neither of them looked down to her lap, but Claire knew in her mind what he was thinking. At least, she thought she did. Steve pushed her down by her chest a second time and placed a hand in line with her chest. He strung kisses along Claire’s neck and chest, her eyes widening as they remained on the ceiling above. His hands moved between her thighs and quickly found a place her hands had only ventured to twice; the first being her sexual awakening at the age of 12 and the day she had seen a boy from school with his shirt off at a swimming pool. When Steve’s fingers made contact with the sensitive nub she closed her eyes and let a subtly faster breath leave her lungs. It started slowly, building up an odd sensation in her stomach. _I knew I shouldn’t have left myself alone this long… I feel like I’m being too loud._ When his hands sped up, Claire realised how loud and needy her breathing – and unnoticed moans – had become, her hands clasping tightly over her mouth. Steve sped his hands movements and her entire body stiffened.

 

Her back was aching as she arched toward his fingers. Claire let him hear a lust-filled moan and became so ashamed at her actions she couldn’t bear to move her hands from their current placement. Before she could sob hands pulled at her arms and held her hands, pulling her into a sitting position.

“Did I hurt you?” She shook her head, face becoming bright as the red that was once on his uniform.

“No.” Her eyes opened and she didn’t dare to look down at Steve’s crotch; she knew what he felt, eyes dropping to the floor.

“Then why are you so upset? You said that you wanted this and you convinced me that you were telling the truth. Were you lying?”

“Of course I wasn’t lying. I just…” Steve smiled from ear to ear and put a hand on her thigh. Claire found herself lost in his eyes, finding the strength within herself to trust him as he pushed her to the ground.

 

A thought crossed her mind and she let it stay there as he sucked on her neck, feeling the strong pulse under his lips.

“What about you?” Steve let his hands move to his pants, undoing the zipper and taking them off as gracefully as he could. Claire tried not to laugh when he fell and ended up on his back. Taking the opportunity to explore him, she almost threw herself at him and pushed down on the taut muscles bared to her eyes. The pants came off, sliding over Steve’s knees and down his shins. Claire lay out on top of him, a single knee taking her body’s weight between his own. Seductively trailing kisses from his lips down his body until she came to a pair of navy blue boxers, Claire hooked four fingers from each hand around them and looked up at him as she let go and palmed the hidden erection. The way he tilted his head back a little and groaned quietly turned her on. She gripped the shape as it grew a little taller under her ministrations.

“Apparently I can do something right.” Steve could have come then and there from the depth and lustful tone in her usually-clumsy voice.

 

Steve smiled despite enjoying the way his muscles rippled in response to the pleasure building up in his groin. He hadn’t done anything with himself in quite some time and his body was waiting for the feeling of release. If he came now he might not again unless Claire had something else in mind besides touching him up. Her hand stopped and the small groans disappeared as he caught his breath. Claire yanked the underwear down quite suddenly and Steve didn’t know where to put his eyes; her face shifted from cockiness to expectant shock. When he remembered that she hadn’t seen one up close and personal, he allowed himself a small grin. Claire was determined to prove that she wasn’t afraid and sat with her knees either side of his hips. She leaned down over him and smiled. It wasn’t seductive or odd, it was a genuine happiness he hadn’t expected.

“So… who’s on top?” When something touched her navel, Claire felt like she was going to scream. _This is really happening; I, Claire Hill, am about to have sex with Captain America... talk about Patriotism._ With her mind focused on her aimless thoughts, Claire was easily rolled onto her back. Steve had a hand on her inner thigh, dragging it inward to uncharted territory.

 

Claire was leaning on her forearms as they sat flat against the floor, eyes on Steve’s hand.

“I don’t mind if you moan… I like hearing it as much as you do.” One finger slipped easily inwards toward Claire’s stomach and she jerked back a little. She couldn’t believe that his fingers could go that deep into her body, but considering how large another part of his anatomy was, it **had** to be possible. Steve enjoyed seeing her mouth open, chest heaving and hints of a smiled on her face as the finger moved inside of her body. Adding to this was the way the muscles clenched up and released themselves around his digit. When she was slicked up a little more, he carefully pushed a second finger in and felt the muscles try to push it back out. Claire stopped smiling and breathed slowly, the second finger eventually making its way in. As the fingers moved a little faster Claire’s body gripped them harder as they became accustomed to the feeling of pleasure in no small amount. He could tell that she was holding back her moans and little cries, the pained expression and the lump in her throat proving his point. As she came closer to hitting her high the way her face was screwed up was making his body slowly lose its lust and was instead replaced by pity.

 

“Claire, just let it out; you look like you want to scream in agony not pleasure.” With those words a mixture of moan and squeal escaped her throat, his slowly fading erection rising to the place it had been. The muscles grew tighter and the moans lost the squeal, the high pitch and everything about them that seemed innocent. Her hips moved to push her rear into the ground a little and he knew what she wanted. Inside her body he moved the tips of his fingers upward and rubbed across a lump and she gave small cry, the feeling of an orgasm building in her stomach. When he stopped and removed his fingers from Claire’s body, Steve could have sworn that she touched his wrist to beckon him back. When he saw her eyes it was obvious that she needed him as much as he needed her.

“You liked that, I could tell.” Her smile and heavy breathing had become intoxicating.

“Ditto.” Steve pushed Claire gently into the floor, his knees sitting between hers. Before she could look down he had pressed their chests together, savouring the feeling of her softness against his hardness, masculine and feminine meeting half way.

“Ready?”

 

Claire kissed his neck and Steve moved a little closer to her, leaning on one arm so he could guide himself in. She shook her head and did it herself, bringing the tip to her entrance as if telling him it was okay. As his member slid into Claire, Steve fought hard not to thrust forward. Only the tip was in and already he his hips moving forward too quickly. Claire was gripping him hard and if he didn’t gain control he might as well be raping her. Forcing himself to stop Steve opened his eyes, not realising that they had been closed in concentration. Claire had also closed her eyes and was on the brink of tears.

“Did I hurt you?”

“Not too badly.” Claire sat still for a moment and pushed her body down, trying to impale herself in her own time. Steve pressed kisses to the parts of her that he could reach and – after a whole 5 minutes of hard work on both their parts – found themselves joined in the most intimate of ways. It was slow at first, tender and caring, but soon both parties had grown tired of the gentleness. They built up speed and Steve could barely keep his eyes open.

 

Watching Claire lay her head back and moan in ecstasy took too much out of him. Claire was first to achieve the feeling of bliss, somehow making it through the stings in her groin that popped up every now and then. Her body shivered and she cried out the name of the man thrusting into her as gently as he could manage. Steve slowed as he followed Claire’s ‘performance’, kissing and biting the skin over her shoulder hungrily. They separated when their breathing had shallowed out and put on the clothing that belonged to the lower halves of their bodies. Half-naked, Claire sat in front of Steve and he put his arms around her chest.

“All’s well that ends well.” Claire laughed and smiled over her shoulder.

“Next time I’m going to be on **you**.” Steve took his turn to laugh.

“I’d like that.”

“What do you think the others would say if they knew?”

“They’ll find out eventually… in their own way.” As if a bad joke had begun, the glass slid and became transparent, revealing Bruce Banner, Tony Stark and a tall, hooded guest.

 

The trio were talking when their eyes met with an odd sight – Captain America with his arms wrapped around a semi-nude teenager, the newest member of the Avengers team. Claire let her mouth drop when she realised that two of the men were giving her the exact same face. The third in his hood pulled it down and revealed himself as Loki. Steve smiled at Loki and the God of Mischief winked, waving his hand as a portal opened for him thanks to Heimdall. Bruce and Tony fell to the floor, completely unconscious but very much alive.

“You have 1 minute to redress before they wake: hopefully their memory doesn’t return before you wed.” Loki gave them a salute and Claire nearly died out of embarrassment when Steve inadvertently saluted back, one large arm uncovering most of her chest.

 

In the distant future…

 

Steve had been married to Claire for 50 years and they had finally decided to take the potions given by Hel a little while after they’d met. They may not have had a white wedding, but neither had the other team members. Natasha and Clint had gotten married having done the deed multiple times, and Tony and Pepper… no more needs to be said of those two. Both families had given children to the world: Tony named his son Tom William Stark and Natasha allowed Clint to choose their daughter’s name, Lilac Helena Barton. Even the Hulk had found love with another woman like him: she may have been from another planet where women ruled and men were the less dominant gender, but they shared a love of science and had changed themselves for the better. Sadly, when a serum to cure Bruce was tested in a lab, the explosion took out every Avenger save for Tony, Steve and his wife. Bruce’s daughter Melanie Claire Banner was one of the many attendees to the mass funeral held for the dead heroes. That was why the two had left Earth for Asgard. In Asgard, Claire gave birth to two sons, Jonathan Loki Rogers and Will Thor Rogers, respectively. She gave them their godfathers names as a middle name (at her mother's other-worldly request) and it only brought the broken family closer.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………............................................................................................................................................................................................

 

For once in the universe, everything had been set right. My friends live and die happily while my family continues to prosper through the ages. My wish for you is that life becomes only better as you grow and become men and women of the mortal realm of Midgard. Take the bull by his horns.

 

 

Love to you eternally my child,

 

Hel, Queen of Helheim


End file.
